


Auctoritas Non Veritas Facit Legem

by juhotify



Category: SF9 (Band)
Genre: Angst, Dark, M/M, Mentions of drugs, Romance is dead, Violence, juho really does his best, mentions of drug smuggling and weapon dealing, there's no romance, there's nothing fluffy about this and i'm sorry, this is a cop vs mafia au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-10-29 15:31:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17810645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juhotify/pseuds/juhotify
Summary: Jaeyoon plays a game but Juho breaks the rules.Jaeyoon gets rid of rule breakers.What Jaeyoon wants, Jaeyoon gets.





	1. chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> i sadly still have no beta reader/editor so if anyone's interested in helping me out you can dm me on @juhotify at twitter ;;;;

Jaeyoon was bored. He had been sitting there, leg thrown over the other, swirling his drink every now and then.  
The man wouldn’t talk. He had watched his right hand handle the matter. It seemed like this one was a tough case. So Jaeyoon sighed, clicking his tongue. He got up, took his tuxedo’s jacket off and handed it to someone, he had forgotten his name.  
Jaeyoon unbuttoned the buttons on his shirt’s sleeve slowly. He didn’t need to ask for the briefcase.  
He faced the tied up man, sitting helplessly on the chair. His face was a bloody mess, the shirt he was wearing stained with blood.   
  


Jaeyoon rolled the briefcase slowly open on a small table. He put on a pitying face, as he let his finger wander over the shining instruments underneath it. With his pursed lips Jaeyoon almost looked like he was remorseful. Almost.  
Instead, his finger stopped at a knife. He picked it soundlessly up, inspecting it with a tiny smile.  
The white shirt was a stark contrast to his black waistcoat and tie.  
Jaeyoon played with the knife in his hands as he pulled a chair up, turning it around so the backrest was facing his victim.  
  
  
He sat down, resting his arms on top of the backrest, one hand still playing with the knife.  
“You know, if you would just tell me where the hell my money is, I’d give you peace.” Jaeyoon softly said, with a look that could be mistaken for fatherly care. If it hadn’t been for the knife, or the instruments lying on the table, or the five men that were backing him up.  
Maybe he would have believed that the man in front of him wasn’t capable of hurting a fly if it wasn’t for his reputation.  


“Look, I don’t know where it is, yeah? I got robbed. I told them-” Jaeyoon inhaled sharply, pinching his eyes together as he slightly turned his head. It was like he was mocking him. “Wrong answer.” Jaeyoon said, still as soft as before.  
With one movement of his head, the man’s hand was untied, slammed onto the table with the instruments. The other was still tied to the chair’s leg.  
His hand was held down as Jaeyoon stood up from the chair, slowly circling the table.  


“You know the game where you stab the surface between your fingers, but it gets faster each turn?” Jaeyoon diverted his gaze from the blade back to the fear filled eyes of the man.  
Jaeyoon slammed the knife between the pinky and ring finger, earning a terrified scream.   
“You want to try again? I’m giving you the chance of being honest and leaving peacefully.”   
Jaeyoon pulled the knife out of the table, slamming it this time between the ring and middle finger.   
“Fine! Fine! I’ll tell you so please just! Just get that knife away!” he yelled. Jaeyoon just smiled, perfectly aligned and white teeth displayed. His dimples were prominent, as always.  
  
He looked pure, friendly, even with his black hair styled back.  
“I sold the drugs and weapons. But for a higher wage. You already got half of it, the rest is hidden in a safe house.”  
Jaeyoon waited for him to continue, wiping the blade slowly with a tissue.  
Once he got the address, a troop was sent to pick the money up.

  
“Look, you said I could peacefully walk out here. You got what you wanted. I have a family to take care of. I kept my word so you have to keep yours-” Jaeyoon put his hand onto the man’s head.   
“Oh no, didn’t you listen? I said you can leave peacefully. Not that I would let you go.” He smiled again as he walked behind him.

Jaeyoon leaned in, close to resting his chin on the man’s shoulder. “Never try to fool me.” he whispered. Jaeyoon straightened up and brought his arm up to the man’s throat. He barely needed any strength to squeeze.   
  
“Shhh” Jaeyoon shushed the struggling male, stroking his hair with his free hand. Only when he heard the man stop snapping for air and slacken in his chokehold did Jaeyoon let go.  
Jaeyoon straightened up once more, dusting his shirt and vest off. He noticed a tiny blood splatter on his rolled up sleeve. “Disgusting.” He muttered, contorting his face in aversion.

“You know what to do.” Jaeyoon took his jacket from one of his employees, swiftly gliding into the sleeves. The men bowed as Jaeyoon left their interrogation room.  
Juho was frustrated. He got out of the car, ducking underneath the crime scene band as he made his way towards the body lying on the ground.  
It was the fifth they had found this week and it was Wednesday.

The fingerprint of the crime was matching the previous bodies. Juho knew that they were looking for the same man who was responsible for the horrible crimes happening in their town. Hell, said man was so powerful that many cities belonged to his territory.

Each of his victims had one thing in common: they were cleaned and washed throughout. Juho didn't think that the initiator was doing it out of remorse. It was rather to wash off the evidence he might have left.

And to top it all off, no one knew what he looked like. All they had was a name. Lee. That was it. Juho couldn't work with that. Lee was a common surname in Korea and his boss had cursed him for it when he deemed the information useless.  

Juho did the usual. He questioned the witnesses, the one who called the police. He inspected the area, trying to reconstruct of how the body could have been discarded unnoticed when the street was buzzing with people.  
The coroner had called Juho down to the autopsy. He looked at the woman expectantly. “Sorry mate. There's nothing I can tell you other than that his killer was really throughout. There's not a single epithelium I can send up to the labs. We only got the finger prints and victims DNA”  
She patted his shoulder with an apologetic smile.  
  
Juho let out a frustrated sigh. He'd been working on this case for approximately five years now. Sure, it never had been him standing in front of the cameras. It never had been him who was seen in public places. Juho preferred staying in the shadows.  


He went back to the crime scene. Not crime scene, per se, as they only had found the body there.  
He flashed the police officer his badge, looking around. The forensics team was searching every corner in the alley. When Juho craned his neck, his eyes caught a CCTV.  
Suddenly, something close to hope flamed up in his chest.  
  
He speed walked around the corner to the shop it belonged to.  
“Detective Baek. I need to see your camera footage.” He showed the stunned cashier his badge. Juho's pupils were dilated due to the pure adrenaline rush.  
Once he was in the backroom, the shop owner had replayed the footage over and over again.  
There was van. It had stopped at a red traffic light and within seconds, the body had been thrown out.  Not once did they show their faces.  
“I have to take this with me.” Juho knew he needed an adjucation but that would cost time. Time he didn't have.

The owner didn't ask any questions and just shrugged, handing him the footage.  
  
Jaeyoon had sat in the cafe, playing idly with his phone, when he heard the detective introduce himself. He had been bored out of his mind, waiting for Inseong to return. He was going to whine a lot about it but it seemed like it was getting really interesting.  
Jaeyoon had heard of his name. He knew he was working his case, from the officers he had on paycheck.  
Jaeyoon rested his head on his palm, dreamily staring at the detectives back. He was really handsome.  _ What a shame that I have to get rid him, _  Jaeyoon thought.  
  
  
The detective had long disappeared into the backroom when Inseong returned.   
He sat next to Jaeyoon, watching his boss cautiously.   
“You're planning something.” Inseong noted. Jaeyoon didn't move his head when his eyes wandered to Inseong. “Did you hide your face?” Jaeyoon  murmured.  
  
Inseong blinked at him, leaning back and pretending to laugh. Jaeyoon played along, with a smile. “Of course. I'm not new to this job.”  
Jaeyoon hummed in acknowledgement.  
“They have the best coffee here. Follow the detective and make sure he sees you once. Get me his file. Then report to me.”  
  
Jaeyoon stood up, gathering his jacket from the stool. Inseong grabbed his wrist, getting up as well. “You want me to do  _ what _ ?” Something dangerous flickered in Jaeyoon's eyes before he caught himself again. He put on a smile as Inseong quickly let go. “Yes sir. I will.”  
Jaeyoon patted his arm. “Good.” He left Inseong back in the cafe, wondering what the hell his boss was up to.

 

Juho thought he was losing his mind. On every new crime scene Juho showed up, he saw the same face. Sharp eyes, brown. Light freckles on his small nose and heart shaped lips. He resembled a fox, Juho bitterly noted.  
So he went to the forensics, describing the man he kept seeing. They ran him through the data banks but nothing came up. Yet another dead end. Juho was losing his motivation.

Inseong carefully placed the file onto Jaeyoon's desk. The younger looked at him expectantly, an eyebrow raised, full lips pursed.  
“It's the detectives file.” Jaeyoon shooed Inseong out with his hand, instructing him to not let anyone bother him.  
Jaeyoon picked up the pretty heavy file. His eyes flickered over the pages filled with informations. “Marines, SEALs, best in his police academy..”  
Jaeyoon took in everything. From his family to his favourite music.

The door was knocked and someone rushed in, not even waiting for Jaeyoon to answer. Jaeyoon hated rude people. So when he leaned back, waiting for the man to speak, Jaeyoon laced his fingers together, resting on top of the file.

“They're sending you an undercover cop, sir. Today they'll choose him.”  
Jaeyoon looked at his wristwatch, uninterested. “Is that all?” He asked as he inspected his nails.

“I- I think so.” Jaeyoon stood up, gently closing the file and putting it into his desk.  He gracefully walked towards the cop, putting an arm around his shoulder in a friendly gesture. “Thank you for informing me.” Jaeyoon chirped with a smile. He guided the man towards the door, Inseong rushing to him.  
  
“But I hate rude people.” He pulled out Inseong's gun, cocking and pressing it against the man's head.  
“I'm sorry, really, sir! I should have waited for your answer but I was worried- It won't happen again, sir!” The police officer stuttered, his voice laced with fear. Inseong took a step forward but Jaeyoon's smile just widened. “Oh, I'm sure it won't… Andrew” He squinted at the name tag of the officer. Then he pulled the trigger.   
  
Inseong sighed. They'd have to repaint the whole hallway again. 

Jaeyoon took the handkerchief out of his jacket, wiping the gun clean. Jaeyoon let out a tiny “tsk” at the fear filled eyes staring into the air.

“I want him.” He said, stepping over the limp body lying on the floor like it was nothing. Inseong followed Jaeyoon with his eyes, confused. “Excuse me, what?” Jaeyoon pushed the clean gun back into Inseong's gun holster, buttoning the blazer he was wearing up. “I want him. That detective.” He dusted Inseong's shoulders off before grabbing his arms harshly. His friendly face had melted into a stern mask. “I don't want anyone but him.”  

“Oh and before you get rid of that, tell them to take the bullet.” Jaeyoon patted his shoulder and left, with gentle footsteps.

Sometimes, Jaeyoon scared Inseong. Regardless, Inseong hollered for some lower tier employees. He eyed the wall, recalling that he had let it get painted last week. Jaeyoon really needed to control his temper.

 


	2. chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> racial slur tw   
> torture tw (is that a trigger warning? ;;;)   
> language

Juho couldn’t believe what he heard. “You want me to do  _ what  _ exactly?”   
“I’m pretty sure you heard me well the first time, detective. You’re the only one in this goddamn department who never went in front of the cameras. Maybe your hatred for reporters finally paid off.”

His boss didn’t give him a chance to protest. “It’s been decided by the board and you’ll go. Either way, it’s your case no? Others would have loved to do it. Try to gain the trust of their leaders right hand and then he’ll lead you to the one you truly want.”

Juho sighed as he took off. They didn’t tell him how long the undercover operation would take. He had clear instructions. Juho knew that it would be easy to get into the gang. They always expanded wherever and however they could. But it wouldn't be easy to gain the high tiered men's trust.

Juho had been moved into a tiny, rundown apartment in a district where they knew the gang was operating. He had dyed his beautiful, jet black hair to a platinum blond. His boss had said “to blend in better”. Juho called bullshit on that.   
  


He roamed the streets. Trash was lying everywhere, the streets smelled bad. He was keeping his head low, with his mask pulled up his nose and his bangs hiding his eyes. It was easier for him that way, watching his surroundings.   
Someone ran into Juho, making him stumble and nearly fall. The stranger just stared him down with an unreadable expression. The sharp, fox like eyes were eyeing him up and down. Before Juho could even process what was happening, he was grabbed by the collar and pushed against a window, the strangers forearm pressing against his throat, making it hard to breath. Juho’s eyes, widened in shock, stared right back into the cold, sly eyes of the man. Juho knew him from somewhere. It took him just a second to recall seeing him on every new crime scene.

  
“Aren’t you going to apologize?” The man growled. Juho found it difficult to breath, so he brought his hands up to twist the strangers arm off his throat.  
He had underestimated the slender man, who escaped the twist and blocked Juho's hand from grabbing him. “Look man, I'm not looking for trouble.” The man sneered at him.

“For someone who doesn't want trouble you sure are looking out for it.”  
“For someone so skinny you sure are one to talk” Juho retorted without even thinking twice. He was supposed to get to know them, not himself killed.  
“What did you just-”  
“Hey, Seong don't be so mean. Can't you see he's new?” The man interrupting him was tall, almost as tall as Juho himself and he had the most beautiful smile Juho had  _ ever _  seen. He clasped his hand onto the tall man's shoulder, protective almost and pulled him slightly back.  
  
Juho felt himself attracted, pulled into the beauty and grace the dark haired man was dispersing.  
“Come on, we'll buy you a drink. I'm Jaeyoon, this is Inseong” Jaeyoon slung his arm around Juho as he gestured towards the man with he piercing gaze. Inseong stayed behind, watchful eyes on the back of the two.  
Juho learned he just found his way to enter the cartel. Jaeyoon accidentally mentioned that he knew how to make money the fast way. To which Juho perked up a little and to which Inseong had clasped his hand over Jaeyoon's mouth with an angry growl.   


It didn't even take a few minutes for Juho to get the information he needed out of Jaeyoon. Juho had expected it to be harder, but he guessed the cartel needed more recruits.  
Jaeyoon bid Juho farewell, accepting the number the blond had given him with a blending smile, Inseong watching the two with a sceptical stare.  
  
Once the two walked out of the door and passed the window, Jaeyoon of course waving brightly at Juho, did they drop their facades.  
Jaeyoon's smile dropped instantly when Inseong opened the door for him, and Inseong's sceptical face had melted into worry. He eyed his boss once before Inseong started the engine and drove off.

It was unusual to see Jaeyoon in casual clothes. The black turtleneck pullover and grey coat really fit him. He looked way better that way. Jaeyoon had parted his hair in the middle. Inseong wished Jaeyoon would keep his hair that way, instead of styling it up.  
He knew Jaeyoon preferred casual clothes, but he never wore them. “I have an  _ image _  to keep up, Inseong” Jaeyoon had reprimanded.

Inseong stopped at a corner, letting Jaeyoon out. He soon followed suit, watching from a small but safe distance how his boss tried to buy drugs from his own dealer. Jaeyoon did it regularly, weeding out the good for nothings.

“Give me 100g of your best stuff. What can you recommend?” Jaeyoon asked, with a polite smile as he pushed his hands into his coat pockets.  
“I gotcha mate. Have everything you want.” The dealer started to list off what he had to offer. Jaeyoon listened, whipping lightly on his heels back and forth until he had heard enough. “You really got all that stuff? Give me the finest.”  
“Mate I'm not sure your bleached ass can handle that-” Inseong pushed himself off the wall he had been leaning on, ready to step in. “What did you say?” Jaeyoon said with a smile, though his eyes were hard.

“You heard me right mate. Doubt your pale chink ass can handle it. Here, have some grass. That's what y'all smoke anyway.” The dealer snatched the bill from Jaeyoon, throwing the bag with the green content into Jaeyoon's hand.  
  
Jaeyoon watched his employee walk away, laughing to his friends, with hard eyes. He closed his fist, angrily, and completely crushed its content.  
Inseong was now silently standing next to him. “I'll make sure he's ready when you're back from your meeting.”  
Jaeyoon just slapped the mushed plastic bag at Inseong's chest, earning a huff from the sudden force. Even if the younger was furious, he still managed to look composed and graceful on the outside.

Jaeyoon walked out of the meeting with his district leaders, his head aching terribly. All the excuses they had made up to cover for their mistakes just worsened his headache.

He pushed the door to their interrogation room open.  
He was still wearing his coat and turtleneck. Jaeyoon wanted to see the eyes of the dealer when he recognised him.

The man had his eyes blindfolded. First, his hands were untied, then the blindfold was taken off. Jaeyoon was standing in front of him, his coat taken off minutes after he had entered.  


“W-Watcha doing here mate? Thought I was gonna meet the boss here.” Jaeyoon clicked his tongue as he stared the sitting dealer down, his hands tapping against his thigh in his pants pockets.  


Inseong idly sat on a table, letting his feet dangle back and forth as he played with his phone. “He's the boss.”

The color drained from the man's face and contorted into a mask of shock laced with fear.

Jaeyoon's unwavering stare made the dealer so uncomfortable, that he got up with raised hands. “I- I didn't know sir, really. Forgive me, sir. I-” He cut himself off at Jaeyoon's kind smile and soft eyes. Jaeyoon placed his hands onto the shoulders of the fear filled man. He flinched visibly at the touch.

“Joey, I know you're young and all that. Maybe even naive. But weren't you taught to not insult strangers? Especially if they're the ones paying you?” Jaeyoon raised his hand just to lower it again, gently picking up a dust particle. He inspected it shortly, before snipping it away. The young adult was shaking lightly.

“Why did you call me that, Joey? Why did you call me a chink?” The smile was still there, the hands were still resting on his shoulders and Jaeyoon's voice was sounding genuinely concerned.  


To strangers it might have looked like a brother giving advice. The dealer might have believed that too.

Inseong knew better.  He never once looked up from his phone.  


“Sir, I was being foolish. Please, sir, I'm sorry. I- I will do anything sir, just please- spare me!” He was visibly shaking now. Jaeyoon stroked his hair with a gentle smile. “Oh, you poor thing. Of course I'll spare you. Just promise me you won't ever insult anyone like that. Ever again.”

He nodded, eagerly. “Okay then. Off you go!” Jaeyoon let him go, taking a step back.

_ Oh you damn fool _ , Inseong thought as he peeked up to see the dealer run towards the door.  
Jaeyoon had long picked up a gun, aiming it at the back of the man's knees. “One two three, you can't hide from me. Four five six….”  
Each time Jaeyoon fired a bullet. The man sacked to the ground, yelling out in pain. He tried to rob to the door, but Jaeyoon had swiftly caught up. He didn't have to finish his sentence.

Jaeyoon grabbed the trashing man by his hair, pulling him harshly up.

He made the wailing man stand. Jaeyoon dragged him slowly towards the middle of the room again, the dealers bleeding knees leaving a trail of blood on the ground as they gave in. Joey's knees dragged along the concrete floor, the pain taking over his body as he weakly grabbed Jaeyoon's strong arm.  
He was thrown back onto the chair.

“Maybe I should cut off your tongue.” Jaeyoon crouched down, so he was looking up slightly. He pushed his finger into the exit hole, fishing for the bullets that were still stuck. “Maybe I should make you look like a chink.” He curled his finger in the deep wound. The man kept screaming in pain, trying to push Jaeyoon away. The pain made his strength fade.  


Jaeyoon let out a laugh at the weak attempt of pushing him off. “At least pretend to try” he said, voice echoing in the huge hall.  
aeyoon pouted, pulling his finger out. “Unfair. He passed out at the real fun part.” Jaeyoon let his bloodied hand hang loosely down. “Where you going?” Inseong asked, without looking up from the game he was playing.   


“Washing my hands, of course. I can't have dinner like this.” Jaeyoon stated as if it was the most normal thing to do. Washing strangers blood off one's hands to have dinner and then continue the torture.  


In the time Jaeyoon was away, Inseong inspected the man half lying unconsciously on the chair. He held his forearm over his mouth and nose. Inseong retreated when he felt warm air hit his arm.  


Jaeyoon came back with two bento boxes. One for Inseong, one for himself. Jaeyoon listened to Inseong talking about a new investment. Jaeyoon downed his water. They registered then squirming from the chair. Their dealer was groaning and Jaeyoon's eyes lit up for a fleeting second. He put his chopsticks down, gently rising from his seat. “You can have the rest, if you want.”

Inseong looked at him with a stern gaze. “You barely ate, Yoon. Eat up first, he can't run away anyway.”

“Aw, Seong. Thanks for looking out for me but I’m truly full.” Jaeyoon cooed, patting his tummy. “Suit yourself” Inseong shrugged. He went back to eating his meal when he heard the wounded man gasp for air.  


“I’m glad you’re awake, I really was worried you’d make me wait the whole night.” Jaeyoon stroked his employees cheek.

Jaeyoon enjoyed it way too much, the fear ridden faces of his counterpart. He pushed his finger into the other knee, earning yet another cry of pain. Jaeyoon fumbled around. He had already found the bullet, he just wanted to hear his betrayer beg.   
“You know what I hate more than being insulted by racists Joey?” Jaeyoon harshly pulled the last bullet out of said man’s knee.  


He could barely form any sentences, he was just crying and screaming. Inseong pushed a finger into his ear as he continued to silently eat.

“One would think I hate mannerless people. While that’s true, there’s one thing I hate even more. Can you guess what that is Joey?” Jaeyoon softly pushed a strand of sweaty hair out of his face.

When he got no answer other than ragged breathing, Jaeyoon continued. “I hate people who betray me. Who take my kindness for granted. Do you understand what I say Joey?”

He stared at Jaeyoon, pupils dilated with fear.  


Jaeyoon didn’t give him any chance to reply. “You have, one two three four five six seven eight nine.. ten, chances to answer honestly. If you lie, you lose a finger. Can we agree on that?” Inseong sighed. “It’s just going to be a bigger mess to clean up. Jaeyoon, no.”

Jaeyoon turned his back to the pained man, taking a few steps towards Inseong. “But- Where’s the fun?” Jaeyoon pouted. “You can have fun, just don’t make a mess.”

While Jaeyoon was facing Inseong, the man had somehow managed to get off the chair and pull himself towards the door.  
Jaeyoon turned his head, watching him with raised eyebrows. He slowly walked towards the robbing man. He walked around him, coming to stop right in front of his face. The dealer saw his shoes and looked up. Jaeyoon’s sad face was freaking him out.

“And here I thought we could have a conversation, like civil people Joey.” Jaeyoon nudged him with his polished dress shoe, looking down at him. Jaeyoon first stepped with the front of his shoes lightly onto his shoulder. The man stopped breathing for a second, fearing what would happen next. Then Jaeyoon pulled his foot back, just to step onto the shoulder with one foot forcefully. The crack of the bone resonated through the hall, drowned by the scream the man let out.  Jaeyoon pulled him up by the arm, causing the already broken shoulder to break into multiple fragments.   
He was barely able to stand, half leaning onto Jaeyoon. “Will you tell me who you worked for? I know you told them about my business as well. I’m not stupid Joey.”   
Even if he barely could keep his eyes open, he gritted a  _ fuck you _  out and spit into his face. Jaeyoon flinched at the sudden bloodied spit coming in contact with his face. His expression melted into one of disgust as he pulled the man with him towards the table where Inseong was still eating.

  
Inseong wordessly handed him a napkin. Jaeyoon stared at the barely conscious man, never breaking eye contact as he slowly wiped the spit off his face.

“You see, my friend. You shouldn’t have done that.” Jaeyoon shrugged lightly. “You have a sister don’t you? And a younger brother? A sick mother too. That’s why you started working for two distributors, am I right?”  


At the mention of his family the man’s hazed mind seemed to clear up. “Leave them out of this- “ Jaeyoon barked a laugh. “What? What will you do if I don’t? Come and kill me? You barely can defend yourself” He twisted the same arm, another bone cracking. Then he slammed the man's head onto the table, making the bento boxes clutter and the man lose consciousness once again.  


“Jjaeng, why don’t you show the others what happens when they betray your trust?” Inseong shoved another bite of meat into his mouth. Jaeyoon’s face brightened, breaking out into a full smile. “That’s a great idea!” Jaeyoon shoved the man onto the ground.

Inseong patted his mouth with a napkin, then got up and crouched down. He grabbed the dealer by his sweat stained collar. Inseong curled his nose in disgust as he lifted him up by the cloth, dragging him out of the room into the part where Jaeyoon housed his  _ guests _ .  


 

Just the next day Jaeyoon had gathered his district leaders and their right hands. They were all anxiously looking at each other. Being in the interrogation room meant someone was going to die. None of them knew who it would be.  


Jaeyoon walked in with Inseong by his side, someone dragging a figure with a sack over his head.

He was dropped in front of Jaeyoon’s feet, sack still on his head. He was squirming like a worm against the cuffs on his hands.

“You see, he worked for us. As you know, we regularly check on the districts.” Inseong chuckled. Jaeyoon just cleaned his nails with pursed lips. “We’re quite disappointed.” The district leaders breaths hitched. “We didn’t expect so many to be rude to their customers. There’s one, though, that was beyond rude.”

Inseong bent down and harshly ripped the sack off the man’s head, who gasped for air. “You see.” Jaeyoon begun. “When a customer asks you for something, you give it to them. No matter what they look like. You see the cash? You give it to them. Easy as that, isn’t it?” He chuckled, nudging the broken shoulder with his shoe. It earned him another groan.  


“Apparently not. So here we are. Joey really thought he’s superior to certain races.” Jaeyoon nudged him once more. “He thinks chinks shouldn’t be served.” Jaeyoon looked at each leader. “So we had a really serious talk but it seems like our friend here didn’t learn his lesson. Who’s district is he in?”  

  
The district leader and his right hand stepped forward. “We didn’t know he was being rude, sir. If we had known-” Jaeyoon looked at him, annoyed. “Did I ask you?” Inseong hid his face behind Jaeyoon’s back, holding back his laughter. “No, sir. We’re sorry sir.”

“Well. Apart from him being a completely stupid racist, he’s also ratted some valuable business informations out. For money of course. After all, he’s got a sister, brother and sick mother to take care of.” Jaeyoon kicked him this time. The pain filled yelp was music to his ears.

  
“Did you know that?” This time he addressed the leader. He shook his head. “No, sir. We didn’t. Otherwise we would have taken care of it.”  
Jaeyoon thoughtfully nodded. “You see, what we do with traitors is easy to  understand right? You, come and sit him up.” Jaeyoon gestured at the district leaders right hand.

She stepped forward, sitting the cuffed man up. Once he was upright, Jaeyoon grabbed him by his hair and pulled his head back, making him face the ceiling- or in this case Jaeyoon’s face. He was smiling, he always was. He always looked friendly and kind, the bright smile, glittering eyes and deep dimples fooling everyone. His chubby cheeks and kindness towards strangers mislead everyone to believe that he was the purest angel to walk on earth.

His other hand was outstretched, waiting for the cold metal object to be handed to him. Once Jaeyoon felt the knife in his hands, his fingers automatically closed around the handle.

Jaeyoon placed the knife at the corner of his eye and cut a deep cut towards his ear. He repeated the process on the other side. The screams filled the room, the audience shuddering at the sounds the man was letting out.

“Shh, shh. It’s fine.” Jaeyoon cradled the man’s head, who was crying from the unbearable pain. His tears mixed with the blood that ran down his face.   
Jaeyoon affectionately stroked through the dealers hair once.

“Met his mother, a lovely lady. What a sad thing that her son turned out to be like this. Guess her heart couldn't take her son being a criminal” The man hissed out a “fucking bastard!” Jaeyoon faked to be hurt, inhaling sharply. “You see, he's a fighter. Gotta credit that.” Jaeyoon wiped the blood drop that was running down his face with his thumb.  


“To what use, though. Am I right?” Jaeyoon dragged the cold blade against his throat, adding little to no pressure. He felt the man tremble under his grip. Jaeyoon brought the tip of the knife to the dealer's spine, grazing it while counting the vertebrae.

The dealer could feel the blade scratching his neck and he had no chance of stopping his tormentor.

He felt the sharp blade being pushed precisely into his neck. Jaeyoon twisted the knife a little, making sure to wriggle it while pulling it out.  


The district leader took a step forward, gaining Jaeyoon's attention. He let go of the man, letting him fall like a rag doll onto the floor. The woman, whose name Jaeyoon hadn't bothered to learn, had caught him and laid him down on his back. The dealer was wheezing, trying to fill his lungs with air.

  
“You got something to say? Then say it.” Jaeyoon cocked his head lightly, the gentle smile back again.

The district leader stood firm, though he was scared of his mind. “Sir, I'm not sure if it was necessary to hurt him like that.”

Jaeyoon pretended to think about it, an eyebrow raised as he looked up thoughtfully. A few seconds later, he had thrown the knife right between the eyes of the district leader. The others around him took a step aside, shock evident on their faces.

Their boss went up to the man trying to keep himself upright by holding onto one of the other leaders. Jaeyoon straightened the hem of the man's shirt before he took a hold of the handle and sunk the knife further in. Then he forcefully shoved the man's limb body, simultaneously pulling the knife out. There was only one surprised sound as the district leader hit the ground with a thud, long dead. Jaeyoon crouched down, wiping the blood off the blade on his shirt.

“Anyone else who got something to say?” Jaeyoon got up, watching the others keep their mouths tightly shut and fear filled eyes darting around. “Good.” Jaeyoon winked.

He looked at his watch. “Oh Joey. You're always taking so long.” Jaeyoon crouched down next to the woman. “Congratulations dear! You're the new district leader.” He patted her back. He locked eyes with the man retching for air. He smiled another blending smile before he sliced his neck open, draining the new leader in his victim's blood.

Jaeyoon took a step back and watched the whole scene unfold.

The dealer couldn't move a single limb as Jaeyoon had ripped right through his medulla. He had lost the ability to breath on his own and was now quite literally choking in his own blood.

He blinked rapidly, eyes darting everywhere unfocused. The gurgling sounds died minutes later.

Jaeyoon wiped his hand on the shirt of one of the district leaders he had clashed with.

“Clean it up.” Jaeyoon squeezed his arm and left, Inseong staying behind to lazily watch them clean the place throughout.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it gets darker from here on, i'm sorry ;u;


	3. chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> racial slur tw  
> torture tw (is that a trigger warning? ;;;)  
> language  
> uh i dont know what this trigger warning is called but mentions of child abduction tw (?)

Juho was getting used to his new environment. While he was waiting for Jaeyoon to contact him, his boss had briefed him in on a murder which carried the same handprint as the others. Which meant, that the body was discarded by the cartel. Juho was getting impatient. The sooner the bubbly male called, the faster he could get back to his investigation.

He was sent the pictures and results of the obduction.  
Juho's eyes skimmed through the PDF file he had been sent on his secured laptop.

 

“What kind of monster does this to another human being?” Juho gritted out. He had to be careful with what he said, he learned that the walls of his new apartment were pretty thin.  
_Broken nose, fractured cheekbone, deep slashes from the corner of the eyes to the respective ears, fractured shoulder, ruptured rotator cuff, humerus fracture_ . Even the wrist had been smashed. Juho continued to read, his stomach churning with each word. _Broken rib punctuated the left lung causing a pneumothorax, three shots into each knee, patella completely destroyed. No bullets found. Ruptured medulla at C1-2, cause most likely a knife. Stab wound most likely inflicted before sliced neck._

 

Juho suddenly felt sick. He opened and closed his fist multiple times.  
The man must've tried to set an example. Juho had read that the victim had been dealing with drugs. Juho guessed that he had crossed a territory.  
It wasn't until three days after that Juho received a call. The cheerful voice of Jaeyoon told him to meet up at the café they had been a few days ago.  
Juho safely tucked his laptop into a safe, grabbed his bag and left after locking his door.

 

Juho walked slowly towards the cafe. He was the first to arrive, so he took it upon himself to get a table to sit.  
He was stirring his drink when he heard the chair being pulled. Juho kept his neutral face, though he was disappointed that it wasn't Jaeyoon who sat opposite him.

 Inseong slid a piece of paper towards him. “Don't embarrass us.” Juho eyed the paper. “What's that?”  
“An address.” Inseong said. Juho looked at him, flabbergasted. “I know that. What's it about?”  
Inseong shrugged. “The usual. They owe us money and you gotta collect it.”  
This wasn’t anything like Juho had expected. He had known that the organization was widely scattered around. He had known about the drug and weapon dealings. He had known about the bloody war going on between them and another organization.

 

But Juho would've never guessed that they were into the loan shark business either.  
“What if they can't pay?” Inseong lifted the corner of his lips just a tiny bit in amusement at the question. “Kid are you really that stupid or are you playing with me?”  
Juho stared at the man in front of him. “It's the first time I'm doing something like this, so-”  
Inseong snorted. “Want me to take your hand and guide you through it?”

Juho stared him dead into the eyes as he replied. “Sure, if you want to.”  
This caught Inseong off guard. He blinked a few times, looking for the right words. “Fine. You'll fuck it up without me and I really am not in the mood to get my bones broken because of you.”

Inseong pushed his chair back as he got up. “Follow me.”  
Juho hadn't thought that the light haired would agree. Their boss must really be scary.

Inseong had sent Juho ahead when he received a phone call. Juho saved the address, time and date in his phone for his investigations while he waited for the door to open.  
Inseong watched Juho awkwardly stand at the entry, talking to the man in the doorway.  
He was annoyed, Juho looked like he was going to fuck that simple task up. Inseong first listened to what Jaeyoon was telling him.

“I'm trying to be polite here.” The man snorted. “Yeah me too. Fuck off man.” He tried to slam the door shut, but Juho slid his foot in between.  
He pushed the door with force open, making the man stumble backwards.  
“Give me the damn money, you idiot. I'm being nice here, don't think my friend will be.” Juho was threateningly taking a step at once.

“You're right. I won't be.” Inseong shoved Juho out of the way. He has had his chances.  
The man had walked as fast as he could into, what Juho supposed was, the living room. Inseong had swiftly caught up, grabbing the man's jaw and making them face each other. Juho could see Inseong's finger press into the flesh. The man was visibly in pain. “Hand over the money.”

“I don't have it!” The man hissed out in pain. Inseong sighed. He really hated getting his hands dirty. He slammed the man's face into the glass table, pressing his knee against his spine.  
The man's grunt was muffled by the glass. Juho automatically reached to his hip, where usually his gun was.  
“Your last chance, mate.”  
Inseong saw a little head peek out through the living room door. _Great, that's what I really needed_ , Inseong thought bitterly. Juho saw Inseong's face shift into a blank mask. When he followed his gaze, he saw a little girl standing there. She was five, at most and tightly hugging her snuggle blanket.

“Maybe you should-” Juho couldn't finish his sentence. He was cut off with a deadly stare from Inseong. “Fuck off. I'm doing your job right now.” Inseong dug his knee deeper into the pain ridden man.

“Give me a reason not to kill you” Inseong growled into his ear. Juho had in the meantime shooed the girl away, closing the door in front of her.  
“Come on mate, you seem reasonable! Please tell him I don't have the money-” The man locked eyes with Juho, who took a cautious step towards Inseong.  
“You don't have the money? Fine. We will take what you have.” Juho said. Inseong perked up. It wasn't a bad idea. He was sure the detective didn't have the same ransom in mind as Inseong did.  
“Starting with your little girl. You'll see her when you hand over the money. You have three days.”

 

Juho tried to hide his disgust. They were really going that far because of some unimportant person owing, for them, a little sum.  
“Please, no not my little girl, please!” Inseong ignored his protests as he nodded at Juho to get the girl. This wasn't anything Juho had imagined when he said to take something for ransom. He would hate himself for this but he needed to gain their trust. Juho would make sure nothing happened to her. Just as he opened the door, the father's voice peeped up. “Okay, okay I'll give you the money! Please, just please leave my daughter alone!”

Inseong let go of the man, who instantly shot up and tried to grab Inseong by his throat. He just twisted the man's hand, bored. “Are you giving us the money now or not?”  
The man hissed at his hand being distorted. 

 

“It's over there, under the couch.” Juho closed the door and crouched down, peeking underneath. Indeed, Juho saw a bundle of money stuck to the bottom, packed in a transparent bag. He ripped it off, pulling it out and then getting up.

Inseong curiously peeked at the amount, coming up to Juho. Juho immediately started to count. He didn't know how much the man was owing them. “Sixty thousand” He said. Inseong scoffed. “There’s missing quite a bit, isn’t it?”

  
Juho saw out of the corner of his eyes how the man was reaching for his ankle. He pushed the stack into Inseong’s hands before he quickly met the man’s attack half way, blocking the knife with his two hands by grabbing his wrist. The man raised his free hand yet before he could come close to Juho’s throat, the detective twisted skillfully the wrist he was straining against. Just enough to not fracture it. It was effective, as the man dropped his knife.

 

Inseong had stepped aside, watching Juho block every blow with ease while he was looking for the missing money. Juho dug his fingers into the man’s face, keeping him at a distance that way. The living room was tiny and crammed. He couldn’t move as much as he wanted to. Juho brought the man down by swiping his leg against his attackers with force and switching his hand’s position from the face to the wrist. He never loosened the grip on the bulkier man’s carpus, making him fall face down. Juho distorted his arm to his back, while he kept him down on the floor by pushing his foot into his back. Juho was sure he had dislocated the shoulder by the way it was flapping around.

 

“Ah, found it!” Inseong exclaimed happily, as if Juho just hadn’t put out the man’s joint. Inseong came up and crouched down. “Next time just be honest. You know how Mr. Lee hates liars.” Inseong patted his hair before he got up again. He gestured Juho to follow. Juho complied, nudging the man’s body out of the way so he could walk past him. He heard the man groan in pain the second Juho had let go of his arm.

 

Inseong was driving. His reddish hair shined under the rays of the sun. Juho had leaned back in the seat, casually staring out. “Were you really going to take the girl?” The red haired didn’t answer, a few seconds passing. “You tell me. You think I would have?” He never glanced at Juho as he spoke.

“No.” Juho didn’t even hesitate. Inseong smirked lightly. They both knew he was lying.

 

It had been around a month since he had gotten into the undercover investigation. Juho had gotten smaller tasks to do, like collecting money or delivering drugs to the organization’s dealers. He had enough informations to get at least half of them arrested, but he couldn’t blow his cover. Juho still didn’t get to see the head of the criminals. Jaeyoon said that he had to work really hard to gain their trust. He apparently hadn’t been allowed to do work alone for a while. He said they didn’t think he had it in him.

Frankly spoken, Juho was surprised to see a sweet guy like Jaeyoon involved in criminal activities. He felt sorry for him, because he would be arrested with the others once Juho was done with his investigations.

There was just something so fascinating that drew Juho towards Jaeyoon, like a black hole pulling anything close to it’s radius in and devouring it.

 

Juho was truly confused, to say the least, when he read through the message Inseong had sent him. Apparently he was getting involved in a bigger deal now. Inseong had sent him an address to a warehouse where he was supposed to play the bodyguard to one of their dealers. The customer was known to be insidious and their boss seemingly thought Juho was fitting for the job. Apparently his scary demeanor and combat skills made it possible for him to climb the ladder faster than he had expected. Juho didn’t know what to expect, as this was the first time he was allowed anywhere near a warehouse. Hell, he wasn’t even told any of the safe houses locations. Whenever he had to deliver something, Juho had to pick it up from Inseong. Or Jaeyoon brought it to his apartment.

 

Juho made sure he arrived earlier than the time Inseong had messaged him. Once Juho was sure he was alone, he snapped pictures of the warehouse. Every corner was documented. He checked his phone’s clock, noting the time. The customer was supposed to arrive any minute, so Juho made his way to the main room. The main room was huge, walls void of anything but a tiny window at the top. Just two lamps were illuminating the cold room. What surprised Juho was, that there were three doors leading to different sections. He hadn’t managed to take a look at two at them. _Another time_ , Juho thought.

  
He saw Jaeyoon walk in, brightly waving at him. Juho waved back. Fifteen minutes had passed and the customer still hadn’t showed up. The few who were gathered in the big room started to get uneasy. Juho thought hard. He hadn’t given any of his colleagues the address. He couldn’t afford getting caught.

Another five minutes had passed and the door to the warehouse was opened, slowly. Juho’s hand was hovering right above his gun’s handle, fingers lightly grazing the deadly weapon. He saw three figures walk in. The kid, barely twenty, had pulled his gun already. Juho put a hand on his chest, as if he was trying to hold him back. He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding when he recognised that face. The woman wasn’t an unknown quantity to the police. Juho leaned his back to the wall, propping a foot up and crossing his arms. Juho held his phone in one hand, the back camera facing the notion. He was recording the handover. Juho just hoped that the faces would be clear.

 

Then realization dawned on him. He had once arrested her. She knew who he was. Juho kept his face neutral, not showing any of the emotional tumult he was going through on the inside. He pulled his cap down, trying to keep a low profile. He saw her glancing towards him a few times.

Out of the blue, one of the bodyguards of that woman pulled his gun. He was pointing it at the head of the dealer, who was refusing to give out the weapons for the little amount she was offering.

Juho didn’t know if it was a trap to expose him or if she truly believed she could get away like that.

 

Juho had no choice other than to fire his weapon. He usually would have warned the opponent to lower his gun three times. But this was different. The bullets hit the man in the shoulder and upper arm, making him drop the chunk of metal.  
Hell broke out with the man yelling out in pain. Juho made sure the people he worked with got out safely.

 

He had looked for Jaeyoon but the dimply man was nowhere to be found. Instead, he bumped into Inseong who wiped his bloodied fingers clean. Juho just could assume why he had the red, sticky liquid on his fingers. They heard the police sirens get louder with each passing second. Inseong showed him a secret way out. _Not many know about it_ , Inseong had told him.

 

Juho had never seen that woman again, not until her tormented body had shown up. He knew very well who’s doing it was, though he had no face to the name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it gets darker from here on, i'm sorry ;u;


	4. chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> violence tw  
> language tw

Juho’s investigation was slowly carrying fruits. He had gotten some dealers and suppliers tried and locked up. On top of that, he had been promoted, basically. He didn’t have to do dirty work anymore. Instead, his new job was to make sure that the employees in safe houses didn’t consume any of the drugs they were packing up.   
Juho found it hard not to get them all arrested. Instead, he was taking pictures left and right.

 

Usually, he was a careful person when it came to making sure that no one was watching him.

But he was so tired, he had stayed up nearly all night watching the others weigh and fill tiny foils. Juho felt eyes bore into the back of his head. He was worried, scared even, to see who had just caught him taking a picture of the secret stairway he had found.

Juho casually turned around, coming face to face with his catcher. His heart dropped when he stared into Inseong’s cold eyes. His blank eyes combined with the forced, empty smile on his face made him even scarier.

 

_I’m royally fucked_ , Juho thought. He really had to come up with an excuse.

He was just standing there, staring Juho with that smile down. Juho wasn’t stupid, he knew that Inseong was trying to make him uncomfortable to the point Juho would spill anything he kept to himself. Instead of giving an answer to the unspoken question, Juho pushed past Inseong. He felt Inseong watch him until he had turned the corner. Once Juho was out of sight, Inseong dropped his smile and texted Jaeyoon.

 

Juho had dyed his hair to a black-blue-greyish color. Jaeyoon had picked it, telling him that blond might be hot on him but a darker colour would attract less attention. Juho did as he was told. He didn't want to spark any more attention than necessary.

 

Jaeyoon was having such a great time until he had gotten a message from Inseong. It wasn't Inseong's fault, no. After all, Jaeyoon had sent him to keep an eye on Juho. For an investigator he was truly dense.

It was the content of the message that made him sigh heavily and set his wine glass aside.

“ _jane came up to me told me she knew that detective_ ”

“ _said she just wanted to warn us that cops infiltrated you_ ”

Jaeyoon sighed. He should have thought of people recognising him.

Jaeyoon called Inseong, who picked up after the second ring. “Yoonie?”

Jaeyoon directly cut to the chase. “Keep her company, I'll pick her up at seven pm.” He heard Inseong hum in acknowledgement. “Need me to stay close?”

Jaeyoon thought about it. He was sure Jane wouldn't come unprepared.

“Yeah. You know what to do.” Inseong let out a yes, sir and hung up.

 

Jaeyoon pushed his bangs back, thinking of how to deal with this situation. He had been having too much fun watching the detective snoop around the places Jaeyoon had carefully picked out for him that he had completely forgotten that Juho had an excellent success rate. Which meant that at least a handful of people knew who he was. Word couldn't get out. Sure, Jaeyoon had specifically asked for him. He also had taken the precautions of who he would expose to the officer and which warehouses he was willing to let go.

None of that mattered to his competition though. They'd all make him look like a weak person, like he made mistakes that lead the police to him. That he had been stupid and not noticed the police had planted an agent in his team.

 

So Jaeyoon had to act quick. What a shame, he had really taken a liking to the woman. She knew what she wanted and she got what she wanted without batting an eye.

 

Jaeyoon had slipped his arms through the blazer. He had chosen to wear a dark blue suit with white stripes. He was wearing a white shirt underneath, refraining from using a tie. He knew that she preferred it casual yet elegant.

 

Jaeyoon had arrived at exactly seven pm, waiting for Inseong and Jane to walk out. Jane’s hand was resting lightly on Inseong's forearm as they walked down the stairs.

 

Inseong opened the door, letting the business woman gracefully sit down next to Jaeyoon.

He watched Inseong's stiff body turn smaller as he drove off.

 

The drive was short, the small talk they had was comfortable.

Jaeyoon had parked the car, getting out and opening the car door for her. She got gracefully out, hooking her arm through Jaeyoon's as they made their way into the restaurant.

 

Jaeyoon didn't have to wait long and they had been seated at a more private area.

 

Once they had ordered their dinner and drinks, Jane spoke up.

“You remembered that I like this place. That's a rare trait for a man these days.” She said, staring with a smirk into Jaeyoon's eyes.

 

Jaeyoon sat there, smiling at her exclamation. “How can I forget what a gorgeous woman like you likes?” She smiled at that. “A smooth talker as always.”

They accepted the plates the waiter brought them, filling their wine glasses.

 

“You probably heard of Inseong, but I'll tell you again. Between friends” she raised her glass up to her lips, the smile still on her face. “People will talk. You've got an undercover cop in your rows.” She took a small sip, watching Jaeyoon carefully. When Jaeyoon didn't answer, she continued.

“You know what it'll look like. I'm telling you so you can save your face before it's too late.”

She put her glass down. Jaeyoon rested his elbows on the table, resting his chin on his hands. “What would you think it would look like?” There was something unreadable in his eyes, the smile on his face was anything but uncomfortable. She didn't notice, or pretended not to as she continued. “They'll think you're getting careless. It's like an open invitation to others to send their spies. They'll talk, Jaeyoon. You'll look weak and vulnerable. I must say, I was surprised to see him. He's grumpy, didn't think he'd agree to a task like this.” She paused, taking a bite from her noodles.

 

Jaeyoon cut a little of his vegetables as he spoke, carefully. “I know. I know he's a cop. I picked him.” He looked up from his plate just in time to see her stunned face. She had choked on the wine she had sipped, gently coughing. Jaeyoon drank from his drink, unbothered. His expression screamed amusement, but the two knew better. His eyes glittered brightly. The amused smile was replaced by a scheming one.

 

“Excuse me?” her face paled. She basically had told him he was dense. Weak. Easy to be fooled.

 

“Now, I have a question for you.” Jane leaned back, acting like she wasn't bothered by the sudden change of the atmosphere. “Go ahead.”

Jaeyoon cut through the steak, agonizingly slow, never breaking eye contact. “How can I trust you, though? You've been arrested before. Can I be sure you didn't get yourself a deal?”

His smile never left his face. She looked at him, offended. “Why would you think I would rat anyone out? You out of all?”

Jaeyoon studied her features. Then he slammed his knife onto the table, the loud noise making everyone around them jump. Some glared, some were curiously staring. She was just as shocked as the others.

“I hate it when people lie to me Jane.” The words sounded sweet, too sweet. “I don't get why you'd even assume in the first place that I-”

“Who do you think got you out of jail, honey?” Jaeyoon cocked his head lightly, chewing on the steak he had cut. Her silence was enough of an answer. “And do you really think you got out because I hired the best lawyers?”

“I'm sorry, Mr. Lee.” She lightly hung her head in apology. She knew she had fucked up big. She could count herself lucky if she didn't get killed by him but rather his right hand. Jaeyoon was known amongst the _business men and women_ to be the most brutal. He enjoyed torturing his opponents.

 

“That's what I thought” He softly said. “Now eat up, they'll get cold!” He ushered her to finish the noodles in front of her. She had no other choice than to comply. Anything to not further anger Jaeyoon. The people around them had lost interest rather quickly. Jaeyoon was way too soft spoken for them, apparently.

 

Jaeyoon called Inseong the second his business date had excused herself for the restroom.

“I need you to clean up. Yes, yes. No. Yes, it went as I wished.” Jaeyoon hummed in response to Inseong. “Yes, I'm pretty sure. Don't worry. I'll drive by myself. You just take him with you. Let him help you.”

 

The two parted ways, as she was picked up by her bodyguard. Jaeyoon gave her a quick peck on her cheek. He watched them speed off. He waited until he saw Inseong's car disappear from his sight. Only then did he enter his car.

 

Once he was in the secured car, his smile had been wiped off. Jaeyoon felt anger rise in him as he gripped the steering wheel tightly until his knuckles turned white. He breathed heavily. Jaeyoon trusted Inseong to take care of it.

 

Just thinking about his plan already blossoming calmed Jaeyoon down a little.

He drove off, heading to his house. his phone buzzed. At a red light he peeked at the message.

“ _cop doesn't pick up, checked his apartment. not home_ ”

 

Jaeyoon massaged his temples in distress. He didn't even wait for the light to turn green. Jaeyoon just pushed the gas pedal down and sped off, the cars crossing the street barely avoiding a massive crash.

 

Inseong had no clue about Jaeyoon’s outburst. Instead, he pushed his own feelings back and made sure to get the job done. He had planted a GPS bug into the organization leader’s coat pocket. Inseong had left the car behind, walking the blocks down to the woman’s address. He knew how to blend in. He rang her bell, waiting a few minutes until the door was opened. It was cold and Inseong snuggled his nose into his scarf.   


“Sorry, can I help you?” Inseong lifted his head, smiling. “You forgot your lipstick in Mr. Lee’s car.” He held his gloved hand up, the lipstick in between his fingers.

“Ah, how considerate of you. Please, come in. You should warm yourself up first.” She stepped aside, letting Inseong in. He almost felt bad for the woman. If working for Jaeyoon over the past decade had taught him anything, one shouldn’t trust _anyone_ no matter how close one may seem. So he wasn’t surprised to see her inner circle gathered in the living room, hands closed around the weapon handles. Inseong knew they just waited for him to slip up.   
This whole situation just got a lot more complicated. More than he had anticipated.

 

“You going to kill me?” He heard the woman chuckle. “No, silly. I’m not ready to die. I’m here to offer you a job.” Inseong’s face was blank. He waited for her to continue. “Aren’t you tired of Jaeyoon’s tyranny? You’ve done the dirtiest jobs for him. He even sent you to get rid of a _woman_.”

Inseong just stared at her. He was still wearing his gloves. When he had entered the room, he had counted the men and women present. A total of seven people were ready to pierce him.

 

“And if I don’t want to do that? If I’m fine with doing what he tells me to?” Inseong had long crossed his arms.

“Then I can’t let you leave, because knowing you’re his poodle, you’ll definitely tell him about our little conversation. I can’t risk that sicko find out I’ve been trying to recruit his best man.” She draped her arm over his shoulder, pulling him closer. “You’ll get paid well, you know. And you can stay. I’ll hide you.”

 

Inseong had heard enough. He didn’t care if anyone talked ill about him. He wouldn’t stand for Jaeyoon being insulted though. So in one swift moment, he had thrown the woman over his shoulder onto the ground. The silence was broken by bones cracking and guns cocking.

Inseong pressed her face into the ground, keeping her down by pressing his leg into her back.

He felt the cold barrel press against the back of his head. He had been in countless situations like these. It may look like he was short handed but that was just an illusion Inseong used for his advantage.

He pushed himself off the woman, raising his hands. He’d just play along a little. “Turn around.” Inseong did as he was told. That was the man’s first mistake. While the other six still gripped their weapons, they hadn’t pointed it at him. They probably thought Inseong was going to lose against the man. Inseong recognised him as the man who was closest to Jane.   


Inseong’s phone started to ring, cutting through the heavy mood. The cheerful melody was a stark contrast to the deathly aura. “If you won’t let me answer it, they’ll get suspicious.”   
The man gestured Inseong with the gun to pick the phone up. And Inseong used this to his benefit - the distraction was short lived but enough for him to twist the gun out of the man’s hand, who had taken a step back in surprise. Inseong now pointed the weapon at the woman who had gotten back up on her feet as he picked the phone up with his free hand.

 

“Oh, hey Yoonie. Yeah, it might take a bit. No. Seven- and a half.” Inseong smirked at the angered woman. Her arm was swelling. Nonetheless, she pulled a gun from the person who had helped her up. “No no, don’t worry. She’s a tough gal. Yes, will tell her.” Inseong pushed the phone back into his pocket.

 

“Jaeyoon wants me to greet you. He said he had an amazing night.” He felt hands grab his throat from behind the second he had finished his sentence. Then hell broke out. Inseong randomly aimed the gun behind him, where he assumed the man’s face was and pulled the trigger. Soon enough, he could breathe again. Inseong had expected the leader to fire her bullets but he saw her being pulled away out of the mess. He sighed. And then once their leader was out of danger, they all attacked him at once. It was like they forgot they had firearms on them. Fists started flying everywhere, glasses breaking, pictures falling from the walls. Inseong had taken multiple hard hits but he still took one person after another down. He was sure Jaeyoon had already sent people to his location to clean up the mess.

Inseong limped to his car the second the last person had slumped to the ground. He cursed himself for parking it so far away.

 

He sped off, following the GPS signal on his board computer. Inseong had overrun multiple red lights and he really didn’t care at all if that would mean for Jaeyoon to get the cops paid another sum. He just wanted to finish his damn job. Sure, at the end of the day Jaeyoon and him were very good friends, but that didn’t mean he wanted to get on the receiving end of Jaeyoon’s anger outburst. And after today, he really had no intention to be the boxing sack of his friend.

 

Inseong had turned off the lights of his car as he got closer to the location his navigation was showing. He got out of the car, trying his best to ignore the pain his sore body was in. He carried the gun he had taken from the leader’s right hand. Inseong halted when he heard a branch snap. He held up his gun, supporting his wrist as he aimed into the direction of the sound. _Bless silencer_ , Inseong thought when the fired shot was muffled and barely audible.

The heavy thudding sound resonated in the silence of the night, confirming that Inseong had indeed hit the only person guarding his main target. Inseong dragged his aching body towards the body. He kicked it once. When he got no response, he made his way to the cottage. He rammed the door open, a sudden adrenaline rush making him forget the pain his body was in.

Of course she fought back, her broken arm had been placed in a cast. It didn’t take Inseong much strength to overpower her, though she managed to land a few hits herself. He had known that she was a good fighter. He was embarrassed though. She managed to injure him with just one arm.

The anger washed over him and he pulled the trigger more than once, emptying the magazine into her body.

 

Inseong had sent Jaeyoon the location where he needed a second clean up team. He walked over the limp body of the leader who had dared to insult and betray Jaeyoon’s trust.

 

Jaeyoon had been waiting for Inseong to come back. The leader was sitting on Inseong’s couch, drinking water. When he heard the door open, Jaeyoon looked up to see a bleeding Inseong walk in. Or rather hubble.

It was rare to see Inseong this beaten up. “You look like shit” the black haired noted as he got up and went to get the stitching kit from Inseong’s bathroom. The older was too tired to answer.

 

Inseong’s face was swelling, with a black eye and bruises forming on his throat. His lip was bursted and he was bleeding from a wound on his head. He held his side, breathing heavily. Inseong hadn’t noticed the bullet stuck in his shoulder. His shirt was drenched in blood. It surprised him that he was even alive at this point.

 

Jaeyoon helped him get out of the ruined shirt. Inseong couldn’t read his face. Jaeyoon just had a hard, blank stare as he examined his torso. “It’s not as bad as it looks” Inseong huffed, his ribs hurting with each movement of his thorax.

He sat down as Jaeyoon started to clean the wounds. “You need to get an x-ray. Seems like your ribs are pretty wrecked.”

“I’m fine. Just stitch me up” Inseong let out a sharp breath when Jaeyoon poked his blue ribs. “Sure, Sherlock. You’re totally fine.” He really had no nerve to deal with Jaeyoon’s sarcasm at the moment. “If you won’t do it I’ll!” He tried to snatch the utensils out of Jaeyoon’s hands but he didn’t hand them over.

  
“Look, I’m sorry.” Inseong just stared ahead as Jaeyoon pulled the bullet out as gentle as possible. “Maybe I should’ve listened to you and-”

Inseong cut him off by scrolling through his phone. “You did the right thing.” Inseong said as he started the recording.

 

Jaeyoon listened to the words his closest business partner had said. He had long finished closing the bullet wound and had moved to his forehead.

The recording ended and silence took over. Jaeyoon cut the leftover suture. He silently gathered the utensils and put the kit back to its original place. He handed Inseong a coolpack for his swelling eye.

Jaeyoon rarely pampered anyone. Inseong gladly took it. “Tomorrow you’re going to the hospital. I don’t care what you say Inseong, you can barely move.” Jaeyoon had pushed a hair strand softly away.

“I’ll have a serious talk with that idiot, so don’t worry.” Worry took over Inseong. “Jaeyoon, you can’t kill him. They’ll ask questions. They’ll demand more-”

Jaeyoon chuckled. “Oh please. I won’t kill him. The fun is just starting, no. He thinks I’m a nice person, so he’ll most likely tell me where he was instead of you.”

  
Jaeyoon pecked his nose. “I’ll crash here if you don’t mind.”   
Of course Inseong didn’t mind, he never did. Not when it was his one and only friend asking him.

 

Sometimes he wished they could always be like this- excluding the stitching and flicking each other up part. Sometimes Inseong wished he could just have a normal life, a normal friendship with Jaeyoon. Sleep overs, partying together, watching movies- what friends simply did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woops sorry it's still unbeta'ed


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> language tw  
> violence tw  
> blood tw  
> uh i dont know what this trigger warning is called but mentions of child abduction tw (?)

The next time Juho saw Inseong was three days later. He was called to another warehouse. Inseong sprinted towards Juho the second he saw him walk in.

Juho had no time to react. Inseong grabbed his collar and slammed him into the wall. He took a good look at the face in front of him. The swelling had gone down a little, but the bruise was still dark. Jaeyoon's stitches on Inseong's forehead were neat, though the wounds still didn't fully heal. 

“Give me one damn reason not to kill you right here, right now” Inseong growled dangerously. He forcefully pressed his forearm against Juho's throat, cutting out the airflow. 

 

Juho had no idea why Inseong was furious until it hit him. He hadn't picked up the phone because he had been busy catching up with his detective partner. And him not picking up probably had resulted in Inseong's battered appearance.

 

Still, Juho liked his lungs being filled with air. He pushed Inseong's arm off his throat, inhaling deeply.

“I'd rather you not touch me.” 

 

Jaeyoon was standing behind the injured, suddenly. He caught Inseong when Juho pushed him off, making him stumble.

 

“That wasn't very nice of you, Juho.” Something about Jaeyoon's voice put Juho off, a lot. His usually friendly voice was sounding threatening. When he shifted his gaze to the older, he saw something flicker through his eyes for a split second. 

 

Inseong pushed Jaeyoon's supporting arm away. He threw Juho a disgusted look before he walked to the back of the warehouse. He was still limping.

“You really should apologize to him” Jaeyoon sing sung with a happy tone. “Our boss got really mad because he nearly didn't get the job done.” Jaeyoon followed Inseong's steps, gesturing Juho to follow him. 

 

“Since Inseong is out for a while, the boss wants you to take over his jobs.” 

Juho had taken a seat opposite of Jaeyoon, between them Inseong.

 

“Here's a list of people you need to take care of.” Jaeyoon gently pushed a paper towards Juho. He skimmed over the parchment. When he looked up, he saw the eyes of Jaeyoon and Inseong resting on him.

 

Jaeyoon waited for Juho to speak. 

“What do you want me to do? Drink tea? Have dinner with? Play golf together? You gotta be more specific.”

Jaeyoon's eye twitched in annoyance for a split second. 

“The boss wants them dead, by the end of tomorrow.” 

Juho stared first at Jaeyoon, then at Inseong, then back at Jaeyoon again.

“By tomorrow? That's.. That's impossible.” 

 

Inseong scoffed. “No. That is possible.” Inseong pointed at the paper. “It was impossible to get out of an ambush of eight people against one.” 

 

Juho recognised a familiar name on the list. “I- The boss wants proof that you killed them.” Juho stared at Jaeyoon. “Proof? Like their hair or something?” 

Jaeyoon shrugged with a smile. “I'd say get creative.” 

 

Juho observed the house of the first person. He had climbed the rank ladder pretty fast pretty high. The only thing that didn't change was that he never got to see the leader and he never got any details about the tasks he had to do other than the necessary information.

 

Juho had come up with the plan of knocking the subject out, take a picture of their unconscious body and then get them to safety. He just didn't know how to do it without alarming the cartel.

 

In the end he called his friend and police partner, Seokwoo. Juho briefed him in and instructed Seokwoo to arrive after Juho sent him a message. 

 

Juho had called Jaeyoon. Inseong scared him and he really didn't want to risk the older to have a reason to strangle him before he got any useful informations.

 

It took him way longer than he had anticipated. Juho had looked at the watch, noting that he only had half an hour left until the deadline was reached. 

 

He had finished the job just in time and at 11pm sharp he sent Jaeyoon a message, updating him on his success. Juho was  _ tired _ , so naturally he wanted to sleep right away. When he opened the door Juho hadn’t expected anything to be different from the days before. Except they were. His apartment was a mess. Someone had broken in, had looked through his stuff and then left. Panic washed over him as he rushed to the cupboard that hid his safe. 

He ripped the door open, his tiredness long gone. The safe had been tampered with but the person hadn’t succeeded with breaking it open. Juho’s files were safe. 

 

There was another problem. Juho’s gut was telling him to get out but he didn’t listen to it. On second thought, he snooped around his own apartment. He made an alarming discovery. Someone had set a package onto his desk. Juho knew very well what it was and didn’t touch it. Instead he basically ran out, slowly closing the door and then he triggered the fire alarm, making everyone in his apartment complex leave the building. It felt like an eternity until he had gotten out with the others - and a loud exploding sound followed with shattering glass confirmed his suspicions. 

 

Juho took out his phone, his finger hovering over Seokwoo’s number. He decided against calling his partner and sent a message to Jaeyoon. It didn’t take him long until Jaeyoon replied him with his home address. “ _ You can crush at mine, don’t worry.” _

 

Juho had disappeared before the police arrived. He couldn't risk his colleagues slipping up and greeting him. Jaeyoon picked him up two blocks away. The drive to Jaeyoon’s house was silent, but comfortable. Juho appreciated Jaeyoon not asking any questions. There was something about the older that attracted him like a light attracted a moth. Juho  _ knew  _ he shouldn’t feel this way.  He stared out the window, leaning his head against it as he watched the scenery pass in a whim. 

 

His thoughts strayed from his destroyed apartment to the black haired male behind the steering wheel. If they had met under any other circumstances, Juho was sure he’d have asked him out. 

The way he parted his hair right in the mid, the shaped eyebrows emphasising every reaction he was showing, the eyes that were twinkling full of life and kindness, the way he crunched up his nose when laughing, the way his chubby cheeks made him even cuter when he laughed, the blinding smile paired with the dimples as deep as the ocean and those plump lips- _ oh these plump lips _ .  Juho scoffed at his own train of thoughts. 

 

Jaeyoon looked at him, curiosity sparkling in the chocolate brown orbs. Juho pretended not to notice and the other soon concentrated back onto the street. Juho let himself fall into a light slumber, not being able to hold back the fatigue any longer. 

 

He doesn’t remember how they pulled up in the driveway, neither does he remember getting out of the car or into the house. He doesn’t remember getting out of his clothes and into pyjamas either. So Juho is utterly confused when he wakes up in a huge, clean bedroom instead of the car. He looks around. The walls are clean, except for a few paintings decorating the walls.  

 

Juho was suspicious. He did remember Jaeyoon saying he just occasionally did some deals for the gang. Juho had also asked him how he had gotten involved, but the older had avoided to give him an answer. 

 

A timid knock ripped Juho out of his thoughts. Jaeyoon poked his head through the door. “I’m not really the best cook but I made some breakfast if you want to.” 

Juho didn’t need to be told twice. He followed Jaeyoon out through the hallway. He had even set the table for them. 

 

Juho took a seat at the spacious table. Jaeyoon ushered him to dig in while he sipped on his water. He held the glass in both his hands.

 

“Thank you for letting me stay over.”

Jaeyoon set his glass gently down. “Sure, no problem. Anytime!” He smiled brightly. Juho fought hard with himself to not lose control. He opted to smile softly back.

 

They settled back into a comfortable silence.  Juho gathered his plate and curtley and brought them to the sink. He was facing Jaeyoon with his back. “You know. I never really wanted to join.” Juho stopped rinsing the plate for a moment. “I just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. And I was too young to understand what was going on.” 

 

Juho dried the plate and curtley slowly. “Did they force you?” Juho turned around and leaned against the sink, arms crossed. 

He heard Jaeyoon chuckle softly. “No. Not really. I just blundered into it.” Juho let the words sink in as Jaeyoon continued. Jaeyoon turned slightly in his chair, resting his arm on the back of the chair, a small smile. “At least that’s what I thought. Turned out that my mom gave me away for a few blunts and a bottle of fine scotch.” His eyes were distant, the small smile had turned solemn. “Jaeyoon” Juho softly exclaimed, crouching down next to the chair as he took Jaeyoon’s hand into his own. His hand was so much bigger than the olders.    
At the contact, Jaeyoon snapped back and stared into Juho’s sharp eyes, his smile long erased. “Yeah, I wasn’t forced. I stayed because they were more of a family than my mother was.” 

 

Juho squeezed Jaeyoon’s hand lightly, at which the other pulled the corner of his lips up, even if it was just a little.    
“Is that how you met Inseong?” Something flickered in Jaeyoon’s eyes. “Yeah. Inseong took care of me when I first joined and I kinda stuck to him.” 

 

He chuckled again. “Anyways. Did you finish your job? Boss wants to see it. I managed to convince Inseong to convince her that she should give you enough time to rest.” 

Juho didn’t miss how Jaeyoon had revealed a little, but important detail.

“Yeah. Yeah I did. Took some pics.” He fished his phone out of his pocket, unlocking it and searching for the pictures. “Here.” 

 

Jaeyoon looked through the photos, his face unreadable as his eyes glided across the screen. “Alright, send them Inseong. I think you did a pretty good job.” 

Juho straightened up as he took the phone again. 

“You can stay as long as you want, Inseong surely won’t oppose it.” Juho’s head shot up at that. “Inseong- you’re living with him?” 

Jaeyoon looked amused as he took the glass back into his hand and swirled it gracefully. “Yeah, why? Rent is cheaper that way.”    
“Oh, just. Asking. Are you sure he’ll be fine with me staying? I mean-” 

“You mean because of him getting the shit beaten out of him since you didn’t answer your phone?” Jaeyoon’s smug grin was enough of a confirmation that he indeed enjoyed Juho squirm like a fish out of water. 

 

Indeed, as Juho had expected, Inseong wasn’t pleased to have him around. But it seemed like the oldest among them couldn’t resist Jaeyoon’s charm. 

Juho had started gathering evidences from zero again. Nearly everything had been destroyed by the explosion. 

 

It took him nearly three months to gather enough to get another dealer convicted. None of them seemed to talk.

 

Jaeyoon had been absent most of the time for the past weeks. Inseong had said that he was having multiple jobs to do and he never went further into detail.

 

Juho still took over the jobs Inseong couldn't do and he didn't know if he should thank or curse the higher might.

He did get some valuable insights which helped him arrest some bigger fishes, like a supplier. 

 

He hadn't seen Jaeyoon for days and Juho was getting frustrated. He had no reason to be, other than that he had gotten used to the warmth the dimpled man was radiating or at the jokes he was cracking. 

Instead he was stuck with the stoic faced Inseong who watched him with hawk eyes.

 

“You sure you can handle it alone?” 

Juho stared at him, scoffing. “What, do you think I'm incapable?” 

Inseong rolled the cigarette between his fingers. “You pretty were, last time.” The smirk on Inseong's face was like a punch into his gut.

“Yeah thanks for the concern but I really-”

 

Inseong moved closer to Juho. “Jaeyoon might trust you, but it takes a lot more than doing a few jobs dealers do to prove yourself.” 

 

So Inseong had tagged along. Which defeated the plan Juho had set up. 

Inseong was watching him as he caught the bundle of money Juho had gotten. 

“Shoot him.” Inseong said nonchalantly. Juho stared at him. The retort died in his throat when he saw the menacing glare. He pulled out his gun and aimed it at the man standing in front of him. He had his hands raised and Juho hesitated. Inseong rolled his eyes and clasped his hand around Juho’s, putting pressure onto Juho’s index finger making him pull the trigger. 

 

The loud sound echoed through the apartment, a bullet sitting perfectly between the eyes of the man. He fell with a soft thud to the ground, his eyes widened in shock. Inseong grimaced at all the blood splattered on his hand. He wiped it clean on Juho’s sleeve.  

“Traitors don’t get second chances.” Inseong stared right into the taller’s eyes. He patted Juho’s shoulder and left him with the body behind. 

 

Juho spoke a silent, short prayer to the man staring emptily at the ceiling before he followed the other out. 

Inseong’s voice rung inside him, repeating the sentence in his brain over and over again. “ _ Traitors don’t get second chances. _ ” 

Juho had rolled up his sleeves up to his shoulder, hiding the blood stains on the fabric. He noticed Inseong not driving the usual route back to Jaeyoon’s house, no. Panic slowly started to rise within him when he couldn’t recognise the region anymore. 

The way Inseong had stared at him as he had spoken made his skin tingle, Juho was getting his shields up even further. 

 

It couldn’t be that Inseong knew, could it? Juho’s mind raced, trying to come up with a plan to get himself, if anything happened, out of it safely. 

He leaned his head against the window and watched the scenery speed past them. 

“How did you meet Jaeyoon?” Juho directed his gaze to the man sitting next to him.    
“You do have a great interest in him, don’t you?” Juho rolled his eyes at that. “Am I not allowed to know who I’m housing with?” 

“It’s better if you don’t.” Inseong said softly, his hard gaze had melted into one of pity for a split second. 

Juho was confused and curious at the same time. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Inseong abruptly hit the brakes, making the car halt instantly. His chest was heaving up and down heavily, the fury in his face made his nostrils flare. 

 

Juho hissed out in pain when Inseong grabbed him by the collar, pulling him closer with force. The seatbelt he was wearing cut through the hoodie’s fabric into his skin. Inseong headbutted him as he spoke. “I’m telling you this once. If you value your miserable life stay away from Jaeyoon.” Juho grabbed Inseong’s wrists and pushed them off his shirt. “Is that it? Are you jealous?” 

 

Inseong exhaled loudly as he stroke through his hair in attempt to calm himself down. His eyes were closed. When he opened them again, he didn’t spare Juho another glance. He rather started the car and sped off. He made a sharp U-turn and drove back into the direction they were coming from.   
  
Juho knew it hadn’t been his best idea to provoke Inseong while he was the one driving them. Juho also knew that Inseong could take him easily out, considering that the other was carrying more than a gun with him. 

 

Inseong had played with the thought of getting Juho branded before Jaeyoon could do it himself. He was sure it would be less painful if he did it. But the detective kept provoking him. Inseong decided to let Jaeyoon handle it in the most painful way, he would make sure of it. That’d be his payback for all the jabs he had to endure from him. 

 

He knew that Juho was doing all of it on purpose, that he was trying to make Inseong slip up. What Juho didn’t know, though, was that they were always two steps ahead of him. 

Jaeyoon loved to play and Inseong was no different, not after all the hell the two had been through. 

 

A knowing smile formed on his lips just at the thought of Juho crying out for Jaeyoon to stop.


	6. chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> racial slur tw  
> violence tw  
> language

Jaeyoon was exhausted. He had just come back from a business trip.    
Inseong was sitting on the floor with his legs crossed while Jaeyoon had stretched out on the couch. The two were downing cup after cup. 

 

“Your aunt came to see me.” Inseong didn’t look up from his glass as he smiled bitterly.   
“What did she want?” Jaeyoon shrugged. “Your uncle apparently misses you.”    
Inseong threw his head back, gulping the bitter liquid down in one go. “Sure, missed beating me. Coward, even sent my aunt instead of coming himself.” Neither of them had to speak it out that the main reason was his uncle asking for money.

 

Jaeyoon poured Inseong another shot from where he was lying. He handed him the glass back. “I could have taken care of him, you know.”    
Yes, Inseong knew that. Jaeyoon had offered him more than once. “I know. They’re the only blood related family I have left.” 

Jaeyoon rested his head against a pillow, playing with the empty glass in his hand. “Remember how we met?” Inseong had moved up to rest his back against the couch Jaeyoon was lying on. The younger smiled tenderly. “‘course I do.” 

 

_ It was his fifteenth birthday. Others his age would’ve thrown a party. Ordered a cake. Maybe even sneaked some alcohol away. They’d all get presents and be showered with affection and love. _

_ Inseong, however, sat in the park. He watched parents hurriedly gather their kids and make a run towards buildings. They seeked protection from the rain that was pouring down merciless. Within minutes, Inseong was the only one left in the deserted park. He didn’t know if his sight blurred from the heavy pour down of the rain or from the tears that were spilling pathetically out of his eyes.  _

 

_ His drunk uncle had handed him over to an orphanage. He had said he couldn’t take care of him anymore. Inseong ruefully smiled at that. His uncle never had given him anything else than a good share of beatings. His aunt just watched, never lifting a finger to stop him. It’s not like Inseong wanted to blame her, after all she was just as scared of him.  _

_ “You should be grateful that we raised you for the past ten years. You’re old enough now to take care of yourself.” Inseong could still smell the alcohol stained breath as the older man had spat into his face.  _

_ All Inseong had asked was if he could get a muffin. He had just wanted a muffin.  _

 

_ “You will get sick if you keep sitting here like this.” A kid, barely his age, had dropped next to him. He was wearing glasses. Inseong doubted he could see anything through the raindrops.  _

_ He draped his jacket over Inseong’s tiny shoulders.  _

_ The stranger stood up, taking his glasses off. He couldn’t see anyway.  _

 

_ “I’m Jaeyoon.” Inseong timidly took Jaeyoon’s hand and let himself be pulled up. The smile Jaeyoon had on his smile was enough to light up Inseong’s dark thoughts. “I'm Inseong.” _

 

“You bought me a whole damn cake.” Inseong laughed. Jaeyoon held out his glass, silently asking for a refill.

“Of course. You looked so defeated and then you told me it was your birthday. What could I have done?” Jaeyoon teased. 

 

_ “I can introduce you to my family. They really aren’t my relatives but they come close.” Jaeyoon had taken him to a bakery, their drenched clothes making the seats they were in wet.  _

_ Jaeyoon looked adorable, with his wet hair sticking to his face and the dimples on his chubby cheeks appearing even when he was concentrated.  _

_ “You can have any cake you want, by the way.” Inseong had followed the law ever since he could think. He had never gotten a bad grade, he had never done anything to upset his aunt and uncle.  _

 

_ Inseong didn’t know why he had disclosed his private life to a complete stranger. He didn’t understand why that kid was being so nice to him. He did remember his aunt warning him from people who were on the wrong side of the law, who used children for their bad doings, who made money off them.  _

 

_ “It’s okay.” Jaeyoon had said. “I know what it’s like to be abandoned by people who were supposed to raise and give you the world.” The smile he wore wasn’t bitter or disappointed. It wasn’t a happy smile either.  _

 

_ “My mom got 200g of weed and a bottle of fine scotch in exchange for me. A real winner right here.” Jaeyoon had put his thumbs up with a bright smile. _

 

_ Inseong had dug in like he hadn’t eaten in weeks. To his defense, he really hadn’t eaten for three days.  _

 

_ All that time, Jaeyoon had watched every movement of him. He looked out the window and tapped Inseong’s shoulder. “We gotta leave now, our ride’s here.”  _

 

“I don’t even know why I trusted you. You might have gotten me killed as well.” Jaeyoon snickered, gulping down the liquor. “I know. I’m just charming, am I not?”  

Inseong laughed. “Sure you are.” He clinked his glass with Jaeyoon’s. 

 

_ Jaeyoon had offered to share his room with him. The addition of Inseong had apparently been unexpected, but none of the teens or adults said anything. Jaeyoon had taken off his shirt and surprised Inseong with his features. He had expected the dark haired to have some baby fat here and there but instead, his body was ripped. It worried him a little, if he were honest. Even his back showed nearly every muscle.  _ __   
_   
_ __ Something caught his eyes. There was something right under his shoulder blade. As if someone had printed deep into his muscles. Inseong’s eyes widened in realisation that Jaeyoon had been branded. 

_ His mind couldn’t grasp the idea of people hurting each other that way. Especially not children.  _

_ His eyes involuntarily wandered over the battered body of the younger. His back and arms were littered with old scars, a stark contrast against the tan skin. _

 

_ “I know, I look good but please stop staring.” Inseong was ripped out of his thoughts at Jaeyoon’s chuckling voice. He handed the older fresh clothes to sleep in. “I’m not sure if they’ll fit you but it’s better than sleeping in” Jaeyoon gestured at Inseong’s soaked school uniform. _

 

_ “You can ask, you know.” Jaeyoon watched Inseong’s flustered face as he quickly changed into the clean clothes.  _

_ “How old were you when, you know-” Inseong tried to be polite. He had sat down and looked up to the younger. Jaeyoon followed him suit. _

_ “Five, maybe.” He shrugged as if it was the most normal thing on the world.  _

_ “They marked me as soon as I ran errands for them. Don’t worry, I won’t let it happen to you.”  Inseong’s face paled. “Didn’t you say they were family to you?”  _

_ Jaeyoon smiled again. He patted Inseong’s damp hair. “I said they come close. I’m pretty lonely here. The others hang out together, but they don’t want me with them.”  _

_ Inseong couldn’t understand why. Jaeyoon had been nothing but kind to him and he seemed like a really warm hearted person- if one ignored the countless scars on his body.  _

 

_ “How old are you?” _

_ “I’m fourteen. And you are fifteen, right?” Inseong nodded.  _

_ The next days were passing in a blur. Jaeyoon still went to school, so the two got ready together. Jaeyoon made sure to include him everywhere he went. The change of environments soon reflected on Inseong’s behaviour.  _

 

_ The usually lawful teen had changed completely. From the top of his class he fell to the bottom, from a clean attendance to missing every two days. He got into many fights, many which Jaeyoon had joined and helped him.  _

 

_ Inseong bitterly noted that the world wasn’t as great as his aunt had made it to be.  _

_ Jaeyoon had been his sturdy anchor for the past weeks. He had learned a lot about the younger.  _ _   
_ _ Up until his mother gave him away, Jaeyoon had been practically harassed by his step father, who was a cop. Sometimes Jaeyoon still came back to their room with bruises. Inseong had long ago stopped asking him what happened. It’s always been the same. His stepfather saw him, his stepfather hit him.  _

 

_ That one time Inseong came back from school, injured, Jaeyoon had taken care of him. He had cleaned up his wounds, bandaged them. “I’m transferring to your school” Jaeyoon had exclaimed. At first Inseong thought Jaeyoon was joking but the seriousness in his chocolate orbs said otherwise.  _

__   
_ Two weeks in and Jaeyoon had found out who had been bothering Inseong.  _ __   
_ The guy tried to land punches but Jaeyoon swiftly dodged them. Jaeyoon had filled a sink with water, and pushed the boy’s face into it. It satisfied him, feeling him struggle against Jaeyoon’s tight grip. A minute later or so, he pulled the kid’s face up by his hair. “You’ll leave him alone, you hear me?”  _ _   
_ __ When he didn’t get a reply other than violent coughing, Jaeyoon forcefully pushed his head back into the water. 

_ Jaeyoon felt the struggles get weaker by the second, so he pulled him back up again. The boy coughed hard, water spilling out of his mouth and nose as he tried to gasp for air.  _ _   
_ _ “You’ll not touch Inseong again, will you?” Jaeyoon felt the boy shake his head weakly against his grip. “Good.” _

 

_ He let go of the wet hair, cleaning his hands on paper towels. Jaeyoon picked up his backpack and brushed past the still coughing boy.  _

_ Jaeyoon slung his arm around Inseong’s shoulder like nothing had happened before.  _

_ “I can’t come to school tomorrow, I’ve got something to do.” Jaeyoon headlocked Inseong playfully as they walked towards the bus stop.  _

 

_ The next day Jaeyoon had been absent as he had said. Inseong’s homeroom teacher had called him to the office.  _

_ “Inseong, we’re worried about you. Your performance dropped drastically and you never missed a day even when you were sick. But now, it’s easier to count the days you decide to join classes. I’ve contacted your aunt and uncle.” Inseong had leaned back on his chair, picking his nails as he focused on getting the dirt underneath his nail out.  _

_ “Great. Can I go now?” His disinterested tone was making his teacher boil. “You’ve changed ever since you started to hang out with that Jaeyoon kid. He’s a good for nothing-” Inseong’s eyes shot up from his nails, staring right into his teachers eyes.  _

_ “You don’t know him. You have  _ **_no_ ** _ right to talk about Jaeyoon that way.”  _ __   
_   
_ __ “I’m just worried about you, Inseong.” 

_ Inseong got up from his chair. With a swift movement, he had swiped the pencils off the desk. “You weren’t worried when my uncle beat the shit out of me. You weren’t worried when I had nothing to eat. But now you are? For what? For someone  _ **_finally_ ** _ standing up for me?”  _

_ The teacher stared back at him, unfazed. “You changed a lot, you know that right? I know, it’s hard to get adjusted to the orphanage and with puberty-”  _

 

_ Inseong let out an empty laugh. “Yeah, sure. It’s puberty. It’s the orphanage.” Inseong turned on his heels, raising his middle finger while he walked out. He ignored his teachers calls for him. Inseong didn’t return to class that day.  _

 

Jaeyoon stroked Inseong’s hair softly. “I really tried keeping you out of harms way.” Inseong stared at the empty bottles on the table. 

“I know.” he softly replied. 

Jaeyoon always got sentimental when he was drinking with Inseong. It was a rare sight which was only reserved for him. Outsiders would never understand their relationship. 

 

_ Jaeyoon was lying in the hospital. He was more worried over getting into trouble with the gang’s elders rather than his own health. Inseong was sitting beside the bed the red haired was lying in. “Stop looking at me like that, I’m not going to die.” Jaeyoon joked. Inseong still wasn’t happy about it. “You heard what the doc said, Jjaeng.”  _

_ “Yeah I did, but I’m fine. Am I not?” The guilt was eating Inseong up. He bit his lip as he looked down at this hands. “It’s the second time-”  _

 

_ “I told you I wouldn’t let you get hurt, Seong.” Inseong was looking at him with worry. “That doesn’t mean you have to take all the hits that are meant for me.”  _ _   
_ _ Jaeyoon ignored the stern voice of the older. “I’m fine. Don’t you worry. I just need an excuse for the district leader. I’m more scared of him than anyone else.”  _

_   
_ _ Just as if the district leader had waited for his name to drop, he stormed in, completely disregarding the nurse’s complaints.  _

_ “What the fuck did you do this time Jaeyoon?” Inseong was about to get up but Jaeyoon’s hand stopped him. “I’m fine, thank you for asking.”  _

_ “Don’t be a fucking smart ass, chink. Answer my damn question.” Jaeyoon’s eye twitched at the insult. “I got hit by a bullet.”  _

_ “You waste of space, how many times did we show you how to fucking avoid getting shot?” the man sneered. Jaeyoon just took the jabs one by one, while Inseong was battling himself. “It’s not his fault, he just tried to protect-” Jaeyoon cut Inseong off with a glare.  _ _   
_ _ “The  _ **_only_ ** _ thing he was supposed to protect were the damn guns. But instead, I gotta clean up after his mess! Just wait and see.” He pushed his finger against Jaeyoon’s bandaged arm. The then seventeen year old just pressed his eyes shut, face contorting in pain but he never made a sound.  _

_ Just like the district leader had appeared, he had disappeared as quick.  _

 

_ It was that day Jaeyoon had decided to kill them all. He wasn’t going to let them walk over him anymore.  _

 

Jaeyoon got up to get another bottle. “What ya want? We have scotch. Vodka. Wine. Tequila. Soju. Beer..” he trailed off. “Just get the soju.” 

“I couldn’t have made it this far without you, Seongie.” Jaeyoon sing sang as he dropped next to Inseong onto the floor. He poured the older another glass and then for himself. 

 

“Well, I don’t think I’d be even alive now if it weren’t for you, so…” He held up his glass and Jaeyoon softly clinked his against it. The older swirled the liquid as he dropped his head onto Jaeyoon’s shoulder gently. “Wonder what would’ve happened if we actually pursued the jobs we majored in.” 

Jaeyoon snickered. “You’d be a boring accountant and I’d be an even more boring engineer.” Inseong laughed after he gulped the soju down. “God, glad we didn’t choose that path.” 

 

“But did you give them money?” 

Inseong passed a fresh soju bottle to Jaeyoon. He gulped half of it down in one go.   
“Yeah, ‘course I did. So you have a reason to get rid of ‘em when they annoy you.” 

He took the bottle out of Jaeyoon’s hand and drowned the rest of its content. 

 

Jaeyoon let his head fall onto Inseong’s lap, stretching his long, sore limbs out. “Play with my hair, it’s been so long.”    
Inseong wordlessly complied. Jaeyoon’s hair was soft as always. It hadn’t taken long for Jaeyoon to fall asleep on Inseong’s lap, his fingers still gently caressing Jaeyoon’s locks. 

 

All the pain and abuse had left traces on the youngers face. Jaeyoon’s childhood had been rough, rougher than anyone could imagine. 

He only knew of what Jaeyoon had told him but it wasn’t much. When Inseong had hacked into the hospital IT system to erase Jaeyoon’s medical records, he had read about multiple fractured bones and before his mother gave him away, he had been hospitalised for a third degree burn on his arm. Police had been informed throughout the times Jaeyoon had been brought to the hospital but they never raised a finger to get him out of that house or get the man who’d been hurting him for years.    
  


_ Inseong listened with wide eyes as Jaeyoon poured his heart out. It was the first time they were drunk together.  _

_ “It didn’t matter what I did. I just had to look him in the face and he would raise his hand. Mom never really cared. Back when she was pregnant with me she couldn’t keep herself from doing drugs and I was basically born as an addict.” Jaeyoon had brought up the beer bottle to his lips. “She doesn’t even know who my dad is. She said I should be grateful that she kept me for so long. And that he was just caring for me when he hit me.”  _

_ “I remember on my third birthday… I cried because I didn’t get any presents.” The bitter smile on Jaeyoon’s face burned itself into Inseong’s mind.  _

_ “He hit me with a rolling pin. He fractured my arm. Contused my ribs. All because a child cried. I was supposed to go to kindergarten but he didn’t want to pay for it. Mom didn’t want to deal with me anymore because she saw me as a burden. The money she needed for smokes were wasted on me.”  _

 

_ “I just wanted to be loved, you know.” Jaeyoon was crying by now. Inseong pulled Jaeyoon into a hug, rubbing soothing circles on his back. “I wanted mom to be proud of me too.”  _

 

Jaeyoon had worked for the gang for years. With nineteen, he had become the district leader. He didn't trust anyone but Inseong and it was then that he got involved in the cartels business.

Jaeyoon had long taught him how to fight and use weapons, in case he needed to defend himself. It saddened Inseong, knowing that in Jaeyoon's entire life he hadn't experienced the warmth love could bring, that his entire childhood and teenage years were spent with violence. 

 

_ Jaeyoon was hovering over the pile of bodies with a smile. _

_ “Ah, finally. Finally they get what they deserve.”  _

_ They were both injured, but still alive. Unlike the ten bodies messily thrown on top of each other.  _

_ The young adults had walked in, as if they owned the place, and had started fire. Jaeyoon was driven by hatred, pent up frustration. Inseong just wanted them to pay for the pain they caused Jaeyoon the past years.  _

 

_ Inseong threw the door to the district leader's office open, marching in with the bloodied Jaeyoon.  _

_ If the sight of a blood drenched Jaeyoon and an equally bloodied Inseong didn't scare one, then the head Jaeyoon was holding by the hair was making sure they were unable to move by fear. _

 

_ “I brought you a present.” Jaeyoon sang softly as he threw the head towards the leader. He stood behind his desk, as if it would protect him from what was about to come. _

 

_ He had caught his right hand's head but dropped it in disgust quite fast.  _

_ Inseong gently closed the door, locking it.  _

_ “What do you want?” Though the older man's voice was steady, his body betrayed him.  _

 

_ It were the tiny movements that gave away his fear. _

_ “You're scared.” Inseong noted with amusement in his eyes.  _

 

_ It didn't take long for the man to lie on the floor, whimpering pathetically. _

_ While Inseong preferred the clean and fast way, Jaeyoon loved to make a mess and have his fun. _

 

_ “Clink clink” He said as he cocked the gun and aimed it at his tormentor. “The chink's here for your head.”  _

_ First he fired a bullet into each of his shoulders and legs. Then he emptied his magazine into the abdomen. He saved the last bullet for his throat.  _

 

_ Jaeyoon sat on the desk, feet dangling over the man who was struggling to get air into his lungs. Inseong was standing next to him, still getting used to seeing the life of others leave their bodies slowly.  _

 

_ Jaeyoon reached for the gun in his hand. “Ah, this is no fun anymore.” The redeeming shot was fired right between the eyes. The two carried the body out, throwing it into the hallway like a bag of waste.  _

 

_ Jaeyoon dropped himself onto the chair, spinning around once. Inseong hopped onto the desk, watching the other teens return from school one by one. Inseong had loved seeing there shocked faces. Jaeyoon now had the upper hand. They couldn't exclude him anymore. _

 

_ Just like that, Jaeyoon had started leading an entire district. He took over almost every district that was close to his and business was booming. He was soon known to be ruthless but he never showed his face. Jaeyoon let others take care of getting rid of people who didn't follow his rules. _

 

Inseong reached for a pillow behind him. He gently lifted Jaeyoon's head and positioned in a more comfortable position after he had placed the pillow on his lap. 

His hand found its way back into Jaeyoon's hair.

 

_ “I don't think you should wait until he dies, Yoon. You know the rumours. He will pass it down to his son. He didn't do anything for this org unlike you.” _

_ Jaeyoon was playing with the pen in his hand. Inseong had been sitting on the couch opposite the desk. His long leg was thrown over the other.  _

 

_ “Mhm, you're right. I've sacrificed quite a lot for them, didn't I?”  _

_ Inseong hummed in agreement. “That old sack would have been killed by now if it wasn't for me.” _

_ They had watched the gang leader operate for a year. Jaeyoon had made sure to know about everything before he went through with his plan. _

 

_ Inseong had suggested to give the old man two options: either step down and hand the entire gang to Jaeyoon or to fight and pull his family into misery with him. The old hag had chosen the latter. _

 

_ Jaeyoon's district employees all supported him, though most did out of fear. None of them could deny all the profits they made through Jaeyoon.  _

 

Inseong still remembered the headlines.  _ “Cartel leader found dead, family massacred” “Family of cartel leader dismembered, cartel leader assumed to have killed his family and then himself” _

 

Jaeyoon had outdone himself with that. 

He had shown Inseong to detach and separate his work and private life. Even now Jaeyoon protected him from many things.  

 

Jaeyoon had been leading the cartel for over seven years now and he had built it up from scratch again. It had cost him many of his employees, but it had been worth it. Soon after he had gotten his position, Jaeyoon had infiltrated the police departments. 

Nearly half of the departments in the entire country were on his payroll by now. 

 

No one could stop him, Inseong was sure if it.


	7. chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> language tw  
> gore tw 
> 
> please remember that this is fiction and none of it is real.

Juho had come back to the house early in the morning. He had been out all day and night, catching up with Seokwoo. His partner had filled him in on the convicts who had been arrested after Juho had knocked them out. 

 

“They’re not talking. Except for one. He’s saying he’ll talk if we get him protection for life. A new identity and stuff.” 

Seokwoo sipped on the coffee in his hand, leaning back against the hood of his car. 

 

“You could also ask me to do the interrogation, you know.”

Seokwoo shook his head. “You can't, you're still undercover.”

Juho was sitting on the hood of Seokwoo's car. “You could arrest me and then I could-”

“And risk you getting caught? No thank you. Just keep doing your investigations and return quick.” Seokwoo's sudden stiff voice made Juho perk up. 

Before he could comment on it, his phone display lit up. “ _ Don't be too late _ ” followed by multiple heart emojis.

 

When Juho didn't retort something, Seokwoo looked up to him. The soft smile on his face explained a lot.

“Who are you messaging?” He hopped onto the engine cover and pushed himself back, so he was sitting next to Juho. He leaned his back against the window and peeked over his partner’s shoulder.

 

Seokwoo's face fell instantly. He grabbed the phone out of Juho's hands harshly. Seokwoo scrolled through the messages. He suddenly was nauseous, ignoring Juho's attempts of getting his phone back. 

 

“Who's that?” Seokwoo pretended not to know. “That's Jaeyoon. He's the only sane one in there.” 

Seokwoo stared at him, his expression unreadable.

 

There was nothing sane about that person, he thought. Juho was really naive for a detective who had solved more crimes than most of the department combined. 

Juho was telling him that Jaeyoon, the man who had more than half of the country on his payroll, was a kind person. He was really trying to tell Seokwoo that the man who destroyed his life was a good person.

He wanted to punch Juho square in the face. Juho noticed the change in Seokwoo. 

 

“What? Do you know something I don't?” 

Seokwoo thrusted the phone back into his hand. “No. Just be careful. Beauty is only skin deep.” 

He felt guilty, he really did. It’d have been the perfect time to tell Juho that the man he’d been searching for years was literally texting him like a friend would. 

 

But Seokwoo didn’t. He kept his mouth shut, like a coward. Jaeyoon would make him pay for it in every way possible. 

 

It turned out to be harder than he had thought to keep his composure. He couldn't listen to Juho glorify the man who had the blood of his sibling on his hands. “Juho stop! Stop, just  _ stop _ !” Seokwoo grabbed Juho by his shoulders, shaking him roughly. “Come to your senses, will you! You're a damn detective. And a fucking good one at that!”

Juho pushed Seokwoo's hands off him with a growl. “What the fuck is your problem, man! You've been acting so damn strange ever since you read through the messages. You're one to talk about getting back to your senses.” 

  
“My problem is you’re glorifying a terrible man, Juho!” Seokwoo had yelled, louder than he had intended to. He had shoved the older’s shoulder harshly. Juho didn’t know why he had the overwhelming urge to defend Jaeyoon, a stranger he had just met practically, against his partner whom he had trusted his life for years. 

“You just said you don’t know him but your behaviour says otherwise. Maybe you’re mixing him up, wouldn’t be the first time.” Juho had shouted back, just as furiously. 

It had been a low punch, Juho knew that too. He had no time to feel guilty though, their fight escalated fast. 

 

Juho wouldn’t listen to any of it anymore and he stormed off. Seokwoo yelled out for him but he didn’t turn back. Instead, Juho stalked down the path back towards the city. Good thing about meeting at the cliff was that no one could’ve heard them yelling at each other. Bad thing was, that Juho had to walk back down since they had used Seokwoo’s car to get up there. 

He had ordered a cab already. Stupid Seokwoo and his stupid overly distrust towards other people. Stupid Seokwoo for making sense. 

 

It wasn’t Juho’s intention to slam the front door to the house. It also hadn’t been his intention to wake Jaeyoon and Inseong up. Jaeyoon was staring emptily at the ceiling, with his head resting against the couch. He looked like he was going to pass out any second again. Inseong looked ready to murder him. Juho just eyed the bottles in front of them. He wordlessly sat down and took one for himself. 

 

The more Juho drank, the more he let himself freely talk about his friend who always saw the bad in people. He might have also dropped Seokwoo’s name, Juho didn’t remember. Jaeyoon excused himself to the bathroom and Inseong went to get more to drink and some snacks for Juho. 

In his drunk state, the detective found nothing suspicious about that. He’d soon come to regret it. 

 

“Jaeyoon. He didn’t kill any of the people you told him to. They’re all under arrest and one of them is going to talk. He has a deal with the DA. You heard what he said. Detective Kim is going to expose you, too.” Jaeyoon listened as he came up with a plan. He was going to get rid of the detective’s annoying partner and he’d make sure no one talked. 

“Don’t worry. I know what to do. Just bring me the stuff.” The glint in Jaeyoon’s eyes was all too familiar. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t drink anything more for now. And then”    
Inseong watched a smile form on Jaeyoon’s lips. Inseong didn’t need the younger to finish his sentence. 

He liked the idea of the detective being dependant on them. Because he had been the only one who hadn’t been infiltrated yet. 

  
It took Inseong approximately two hours to get the drug Jaeyoon had requested. Jaeyoon had designed it, practically. Juho would be the second one to test it. 

The drug had no taste, no smell, no color. The consumer wouldn’t know about it until the effect kicked in. Which was to intensify what they were feeling. Jaeyoon made sure to keep the young detective angered, until he had mixed the substance into his drink and handed it to him. 

 

It hadn’t taken long for Juho to suddenly feel hot. The anger he had felt towards his friend fired up again and he stormed out of the door, leaving the two males behind. 

Juho was going to show Seokwoo how wrong he had been. 

 

The only thing he remembered was speeding towards Seokwoo’s apartment and knocking on his door. Everything else was a blur. 

 

The next thing he remembered was him being stripped out of his clothes and an orange overall thrown at him. Juho had trouble catching the fabric with the handcuffs around his wrist. He recognised his colleague looking at him with loath as she uncuffed him. 

Juho had no other choice than to slip into the overall with shaky legs. He was confused, he was lost. Juho stared at his hands. They were stained in red. If he didn’t know better, he’d say it was blood.    
  
Not even five minutes later his wrists were cuffed once more, a chain trussed around his waist. Then, at last, they had put cuffs around his ankles as well. Juho was roughly pushed out the door towards the interrogation room. Everyone in the district was staring at him, he felt out of place. Juho didn’t even know what he was accused of. 

 

He was pushed down onto a chair, the cuff’s chains were locked onto the table.    
“Can anyone please tell me why I’m in chains?” A nervous smile was on Juho’s face. Maybe this was all a prank his colleagues were playing on him. The woman in front of him didn’t seem to be joking. 

She pulled out a hand mirror and held it in front of his face. Juho got scared by looking at his own reflection. His entire face was splattered with blood and tiny pieces of tissue had dried with them. The stain went down his neck, where the rest was hidden by the overall he was wearing. 

 

He looked back into the eyes of his workmate. “What-What happened?” She kept holding the mirror towards him. Juho knew what she was doing but he couldn’t help himself as he tried to push her hand away. The cuffs restrained him. 

She kept looking at him with the same hard and cold gaze. “You really don’t remember?” Juho could make the disgust in her voice out. 

 

She dropped the mirror onto the table and opted to open the file in front of her. “You really don’t remember how you killed Detective Kim?” She shoved pictures of the crime scene right under his nose. Juho recognised his friend’s apartment. It was covered in blood, in the center lying Seokwoo with an empty face.    
Tears were burning his eyes. Juho refused to let them spill. He refused to believe that he had been the one to annihilate Seokwoo’s way too young life. 

 

He felt nauseous, all of a sudden, and turned his head away. Juho had closed his eyes in agony as he tried to keep the bile that threatened to come up down. 

“You chopped off his arm.” She placed another picture in front of him. Juho refused to look at it. “I didn’t do it.” His voice was shaking, he knew that. He just found out that his best friend had died and everyone was accusing him. All his colleagues seemed to share the idea. 

 

She snorted. Not in the amused way, no. She was condescending. “You also didn’t stab him forty times into the chest, am I right?” 

She placed another picture on top of the others. “Look at it.” Juho refused to. He inhaled sharply when she yelled at him, grabbing his jaw and forcing him to look at the pictures which showed his mutilated friend. 

 

Juho was starting to shake. He shook his head as much as he could with the grip on his jaw. The tears rolled uncontrolled as the detective kept shoving new pictures. “It wasn’t me, it wasn’t me!” Juho kept repeating himself, almost like a mantra. 

Juho knew they watched him from behind the mirror. He knew they were all having a feast over his pathetic cries. 

  
He had slumped in his seat, resting his forehead against the table in between his arms. Juho tried to control his sobs but it was like he had no control over himself anymore. She had rested her back against her chair’s back, lazily reading the preliminary autopsy report out. 

“Traumatic brain injury most likely caused by blunt trauma. Weapon most likely a vase or bottle. Chest and abdomen showed a total of forty stab wounds- most likely caused by a butter knife. Right arm-”    
  
“Stop! Stop,  _ please  _ stop!” Juho was sobbing uncontrollably. He tried covering his ears but the cuffs restrained him. He pressed his upper arms against his temples. Not once did he lift his head up. He let his tears fall without shame. 

 

“Seokwoo begged you to stop as well, didn’t he? You didn’t listen. Why should I?” Compared to Juho’s cries, her voice was quiet. 

“Right arm ripped off by force. Abdomen sliced open. Both legs broken multiple times. Patellas completely smashed-”    
Juho shook his head against the table at all the accusations. His head hurt, his body hurt but what hurt him the most was his heart. He couldn’t breath well. He lifted his head, the stream of tears continuing to fall. He couldn’t care less about the snot mixing with his tears. “I didn’t do it!” his voice got louder but broke at the end.  “Why did you keep saying ‘Rulebreakers are punished’ Juho, huh? What rules? What kind of sick game were you playing?” 

Juho had nothing else to say other than “I don’t know, it wasn’t me.” 

 

She had lost her patience. She shoved her chair back as she got up. The force made the stool fall backwards and Juho jumped at the noise. His breaking voice never stopped chanting  _ “It wasn’t me” _ . 

The detective slapped a picture of Juho onto the table. Juho was looking anywhere but the picture. Not that he could see anything, with the tears clouding his vision. 

She grabbed Juho by his hair and pulled them harshly, making him face her up. “You bastard. You killed Seokwoo. I’ve told the board from the beginning not to choose you for the undercover job. You” She spat “You killed Seokwoo. You are the reason he’s dead. You tortured him.”    
She then forced him to look at the picture of himself. He was standing there, drenched in Seokwoo’s blood with a butterknife in his one hand and the ripped arm in his other. He could see the weapons pointing at him.

 

Juho saw it was him but it  _ wasn’t  _ him. So he kept repeating pathetically “It wasn’t me, I didn’t kill him.” 

“What were you two fighting about? Is that the reason you killed him?” Her voice was cold. Juho didn’t answer, he couldn’t find the strength in him to form any sentences. 

 

“I’m done with you.” The words meant so much more than the interrogation ending. 

Juho was shaking miserably. Two officers walked in as the detective walked out.    
There was nothing gentle about the way he was shoved towards the cells. It was like a walk of shame through the department, everyone staring at Juho hate-filled. Juho saw his boss standing in the midst of the crowd. He turned around while he kept walking, yelling out for him. Juho tried to push through the officers but they detained him. “It wasn’t me sir, it wasn’t me! I swear, it wasn’t me!” Juho’s tears never stopped as he yelled it out. 

His boss shook his head in disappointment and turned  his back to Juho, who was still struggling against the officers torsos.

  
The officers hooked their arms through his armpits and dragged him towards an empty cell. Without another glance they locked cell door and left, leaving Juho alone with his thoughts. 

Juho had finally been freed from the cuffs. His wrists were sore. He was lucky, he thought bitterly. He was alone in his cell for now. Just looking at his dirty hands made the bile rise again. He shakily went to the sink and scrubbed his entire arms and face. Juho tried to clean his body as much as he could with the limited options he had. His skin was angrily screaming at him from the harsh scrubbing. 

 

He dropped on the stretcher, pulling his knees up. Juho hid his face in his arms, which he rested on top of his knees. Juho felt like he was losing his mind. He kept repeating to himself that it wasn’t him who had taken Seokwoo’s life. He didn’t sleep that night, the pictures of his mutilated friend were haunting him.    
Juho knew that his face was swollen from the excessive crying, he knew that his arms and hands, his chest and face carried wounds from the brutal cleaning he had put himself through. None of it would bring his beloved friend back, though. 

 

Juho had received the verdict that he had to remain in custody until his trial. It was unnerving, sitting in that cell alone with his thoughts. He hadn’t slept well and he hadn’t eaten anything either. Even if he had wanted to, he couldn’t. The officers who brought him the food  _ accidentally  _ spilled it onto the ground every time. 

 

Juho really didn’t do anything other than keep telling no one in particular that it wasn’t him who had committed the horrendous murder. His voice was strained, fatigue evident in his eyes. His face wasn’t as swollen as the first day. Juho curled up at night and cried silently as he stared vacantly into the tiny cell. Just like now, he had brought his knees up to his chest, his finger peeling at the dry skin of his lips. The silent tears wouldn’t stop, Juho couldn’t focus on anything other than the pictures flashing in front of his eyes. 

 

Juho’s mind wandered to Seokwoo’s family. He thought about how his parents were coping with the loss of another child. He thought about how painful it must be for them to wait for the body of their son, so they could give him a proper burial. He brought his hands up to his face, pressing the balls of them into his eyes until he saw white stars. 

 

He hadn’t expected anyone to visit him. Juho didn’t really have anyone he would’ve called for help. His family was in Korea and the only one whom he really had considered a friend was now dead. Seemingly killed by his own hands. He hadn’t even registered the cell door opening neither did he realise someone had sat down onto the stretcher he was curled up on. Juho just jumped at a hand gently resting on his leg. 

 

He weakly pushed himself up, eyeing the person sitting next to him. Inseong stared at him with pity. Juho had dark under-eye circles, his eyes were puffy. His face looked sunken in, the food abstinence pretty obvious. The spark in his orbs were missing, enhancing the empty vibes of his face.

 

Juho had diverted his gaze back to the floor, holding onto the edge of the stretcher as if he was going to fall anytime. Inseong could still see the tear stains on the others cheeks. It was like breathing was already too much of a chore for him. Watching Juho sit there, stare ahead lifelessly, made Inseong question if they had went too far. He buried that thought as quick as it had appeared, holding the paper bag out under Juho’s nose.    
“We got you food. Figured they wouldn’t give you anything.” Juho didn’t move a single muscle. He just stared ahead. 

  
Inseong kept his arm outstretched until Juho slowly took the bag. Smelling the food was enough for his stomach to turn upside down. Juho closed his eyes, suppressing the urge to just vomit on the spot. “Thanks” he croaked out, putting the food next to him onto the stretcher. 

 

“You need to eat. How else are you going to stand the trial?” Juho didn’t answer, similar to how he kept his mouth shut during the daily interrogation sessions. He didn’t keep quiet because he admitted to the crime, no. He simply remained silent because he knew there was no way he could prove his innocence. He just had accepted that he would go to jail for something he didn’t do. Almost automatically a soft “I didn’t do it” left his lips. 

 

It had been so soft that Inseong nearly had missed it. Juho didn’t fight it when Inseong gently pushed Juho’s head onto his lap, mellow fingers threading through his hair. Juho had curled up instantly again, picking on his lips until he drew blood. He hadn’t noticed and Inseong didn’t stop him. 

“You’ll get the best lawyer, don’t worry.”   
Watching the detective fighting the fatigue on his lap, small and broken, almost brought the guilt back up. He knew that he was the last person Juho wanted to see, yet the young man had wistfully had accepted the human interaction. Jaeyoon would be pleased. 


	8. chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> language tw

“I told you to make this whole situation believable, not to starve him.” Inseong faced the whole squad, his hands in his coats pockets. He was annoyed, to say the least. If word came to Jaeyoon’s ears, Inseong would be the first to suffer from it. Not physically, no. Jaeyoon never had hurt him in any way. He’d have to deal with Jaeyoon’s whining and complaining the whole time.

 

“Detective Baek didn’t just kill, no. He over killed-” One of them spat. Inseong’s yawn interrupted her. “Consider it a warning then.” The underlying threat was unmistakable. 

 

“Why did Detective Kim have to die? Why him? You already  got what you wanted with the convict’s death. So why Seokwoo?” Inseong pursed his lips in thought. “Perhaps he was trying to turn the rotten system around all by himself? Or maybe he was thinking that biting the hand which fed him would make him less guilty. No one will ever know.” 

Inseong had leaned against one of the desks. His arms were crossed with a smirk on his face. 

 

“What makes you think we can’t all team up and bring you down?” It was their boss who spoke, it was always him. The smirk had never left Inseong’s face. He was by far outnumbered. The officers all could have pulled their guns and point it at him, but they’d never dare to. Jaeyoon had made sure of that. 

 

Some looked around uncomfortably. They were uneasy with the way their boss was talking.    
“Your optimism is cute, keep it as long as you can. Just don’t forget who’s in charge here.” He pushed himself off the desk 

“You’ll give him at least two meals a day and you’ll wait until he finishes it, got it?” Inseong’s sharp eyes wandered over the whole squad. He only left once he had seen everyone nod in understanding. 

 

Juho's trial was nearing and Jaeyoon had hired him the best lawyer he could find. It was the day Juho would be indebted to him, just like the rest of his colleagues were. 

Jaeyoon had seated himself in one of the rows in the back, Inseong was sitting in the front to be an emotional support to Juho. Over the couple of weeks Juho had been isolated more and more. It got all worse when he had to share a cell with a guy whom he had arrested once. 

Juho knew his colleagues were punishing him that way. After all he was a cop killer. His cellmate once tried to overpower him and hadn't it been for said lawyer showing up, he was sure he’d be dead.

 

Whenever he had been taken out of the cell, he was handcuffed. Juho was crestfallen. He knew he stood no chance to convince the jury or judge of his innocence. He’d be labelled as a murderer for the rest of his life, which he knew he’d spend behind bars. If he didn’t get the death sentence. “Mr. Baek. I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me.” Juho played with the chains between the manacles on his wrists, never looking up from the metal chain. “There’s nothing to say. Sorry your reputation will get stained.” He practically heard the lawyer roll her eyes.    
“I wouldn’t have taken the case if I didn’t see a chance to win. Now please, Detective. Get yourself together so we can actually start working on your defence.” 

Juho smiled bitterly. The chains were pretty interesting to look at. Once the lawyer noticed that she wouldn’t get anything other than the sad smile, she continued. “What tests did they run before they arrested you?”    
Juho sighed. He knew she was out to find a mistake by the forensics. “The usual. Took the clothes, fingerprints, saliva samples and samples from underneath the fingernails.” Juho stopped to think before he continued. “Hair samples, dental impression. Samples of-” he held in, not daring to continue speaking out the rest of the sentence. He felt like if he did, he was admitting to have slaughtered his friend. 

 

She nodded, typing everything down on her laptop. “Mr. Baek, you said you can’t remember what happened. I need you to tell me what you can though.” 

Juho didn’t see the point of it, but he complied. “I had drinks. I remember driving to his apartment but that’s it.” Juho shrugged, voice rough from not having spoken a lot the past weeks. The woman was carefully watching him. Not once did he make eye contact with her, the table seemed to be more interesting.    
She had seen pictures of him, Jaeyoon had showed them to her. His cheeks were sunken in and his eyes had heavy bags, paired with dark circles. They were void of any warmth they had radiated on the pictures. His forehead showed wrinkles, etched into the skin. He appeared way older than he actually was. She noticed how Juho had actually lost a lot of weight. His cheeks were more prominent, just like his collarbones and wrists. 

 

“They didn’t take blood samples?” Juho looked up for the first time since he had sat down. The orange really made him look sicker.     
“No. Just saliva.” He noticed a small smile growing on her face. “No. No you can’t do that-” Juho shook his head.    
“I can’t do what, Mr. Baek? Point out their immense mistake? For all we know, you might have been drugged.” Juho stared at the lawyer. It did make sense, but he didn’t want to denigrate his colleagues. As if she had read his mind, she continued her line of reasoning. “We can very well, Mr. Baek. Stop trying to protect people who were so quick to judge and abandon you. The only one who’s loyal here is you and look what you got in return.” 

Juho’s stare didn’t waver from her face. Her words hurt, because he knew she was right. None of his co-workers even tried to listen to him. None of them cared if he was strangled in his cell. 

When Juho didn’t say anything, she continued. Her gaze never left Juho’s hard stare. 

 

“You deserve to be heard just as much. The truth will be uncovered, for the sake of your peace.” 

She continued telling Juho about how she had requested part of the samples and evidence to be transferred to her office so her team could get the same tests done at an independent lab. 

 

“I'll be back in a few days with the independent lab results. Don't get yourself killed in the process. I applied solitary for you. It's too dangerous otherwise.” She didn't give Juho a chance to protest. She had patted his shoulder and quickly made her way out of the room.

It didn't take long for Juho to be roughly steered towards the cells again. Instead of going to his shared one, he was directed to a more secluded area. He knew the hallway like his own pocket. The cell door was slammed in front of his face. This door was made out of massive steel, the only bars where the at the little window, unlike the average cell door. It was the only source of light as well. Juho rubbed his sore wrists as he let himself fall onto the hard mattress. He sighed, putting his elbows up on his thighs and burying his face in his hands.    
He was alone with his thoughts again, no one there to interrupt them going wild.

 

Juho was so tired. He was tired of the guilt eating him away. He was tired of the emptiness he felt at the same time. He was tired of his colleagues passing by his cell and behaving like he was an animal in a zoo. Mostly, Juho was tired of fighting a fight where he knew there was no way of winning.

He tried, he tried so hard to remember what happened. Juho tried so hard to recreate the fateful night. His train of thoughts was interrupted by the sound of the metal door being unlocked. He rubbed his face as he straightened up, waiting for the person to say something. Juho had expected it to be an officer who just came to drop some food but he was surprised to see his senior from police academy. 

 

The cell was illuminated by the light from the hallway for a short time until the door was closed again. His senior dropped himself next to Juho, who had watched him with surprise. 

> “You look like shit.” was the first thing he said and Juho couldn’t help but snort in amusement. He stared down, arms resting on his lap. “I figured they wouldn’t give you anything proper to eat. Here.” He held out a coffee to go cup and a sandwich. Juho hesitated at first, but then gently wrapped his hand around the cup and placed the sandwich on his thigh. The cup was still hot, warming Juho’s cold fingers. “Thanks.” He softly said. 

There was a brief pause before Juho spoke again. “Why are you here, Sanghyuk? You’ll get in trouble.”    
Sanghyuk could hear the worry in the younger’s voice. “The hell I will. I came to talk to you. Figured you’d like my company better than, you know, every other incarcerated criminal.” Sanghyuk threw his arm around Juho’s shoulder, pulling him closer. “So, Seokwoo finally made you snap huh. Don’t know how you endured it with him for so long, respect. Talked to him twice and wanted to smash his head in.” He could hear the joking undertone in Sanghyuk’s voice. Juho would have laughed any other time. “He was my best friend, Sanghyuk.” Compared to his senior, Juho’s voice was small, almost like he was uncertain if he was even allowed to speak. Usually, he would’ve leaned into Sanghyuk’s embrace. Juho was a sucker for any physical contact, no matter how tough he appeared. 

Right now though, he was keeping his distance albeit Sanghyuk’s arm around him. 

“I know he was.” 

 

He heard the Juho inhale sharply as he hid his face in his hands, completely crumpling up on his legs. “I didn’t do it, Sanghyuk.” Juho’s usually deep voice was soft, breaking in the midst of the sentence. 

“I know. I believe you Juho.” Sanghyuk’s face was sincere and the hand on his shoulder squeezed it lightly, as if to underline his sincerity. Juho didn’t straighten up. He stayed in that crouched position, silent sobs rocking his body. The older’s heart ached for his friend. Sanghyuk didn’t know what to do other than rubbing his back soothingly. 

 

Juho had done his best to stop crying and he had actually succeeded the past weeks. Sure, the first week was filled with nothing but tears and sobs but the following ones, Juho had gotten it back under control. He didn’t want to give his colleagues anything to feed on. Yet everything he had swallowed came back up when he heard his academy friend whisper those five words. 

Juho hadn’t known how much he needed to hear them from anyone else but his lawyer. Who was paid by someone who was working for a criminal organization. 

 

“Come on, Jjuongie. You’ll hurt your back like this.” Sanghyuk gently straightened Juho up by his shoulders. Then he engulfed him in a tight hug. He felt Juho hide his face in the crook of his neck, the tears wetting his uniform. “It’s fine, Jju. They might not believe you but I do.” It was merely a whisper. Sanghyuk stroked the detective’s hair gingerly, his other hand resting on the younger’s back. Juho clung at his uniform like his life depended on it. 

He kept repeating “I didn’t do it”, each time his voice giving in until he had no strength to speak. 

 

Juho was embarrassed. He was embarrassed for crying. He was embarrassed for soaking in the warmth Sanghyuk’s body was emitting like a sponge soaking the water up. He was embarrassed for being so  _ weak _ . 

Sanghyuk had stayed until Juho was asleep, gently lying his thin frame down onto the mattress and pulling the thin blanket over him. He made a note to himself to bring a thicker blanket for Juho the next time. Juho’s rough appearance and deep voice was deceiving. The younger was gentle, sensitive, craving attention and physical contact in every way possible. Barely anyone bothered to look past the facade though, so they never really got to know him. If they did, they’d know that Juho was incapable of such a horrendous crime.  

 

In the following weeks, Sanghyuk had visited Juho daily. Juho had met up with his lawyer nearly every second day, their meetings became more frequent with the trial nearing. She seemed optimistic about his release. Juho was still sceptical.    
He also couldn’t stop thinking about what Sanghyuk had told him. “There’s something going on in this department and they’re all involved. Don’t trust them.” and “I think some might be involved with the gang you’re investigating.” 

  
It had been nearly three months since he had been arrested. Out of those three he spent two in solitary confinement. If it hadn’t been for Sanghyuk visiting him daily, he’d have lost his mind. Inseong had regularly showed up as well. Juho had asked where Jaeyoon was. He hadn’t seen the dimply man ever since his imprisonment. “He’s out of the city, running errands.” Inseong had once said. Juho grew more suspicious with every excuse Inseong came up, keeping Sanghyuk’s warning in mind. 

He was checking his appearance in the mirror, fumbling with his tie nervously. The grey suit he wore usually fitted well. Now it was just a little too big. His lawyer had argued to keep the handcuffs off while Juho was led to the courtroom since it was a case with huge public interest. She also had made sure his name and profession were kept out of the news. If, Juho doubted it, he was acquitted, he’d go back to investigating the case. 

He’d make sure Seokwoo got the real justice he deserved. 

He was led down the courtroom to the front. Juho saw Jaeyoon sitting at the back, giving him a small wave. He passed his colleagues, not glancing at them once. Juho let his head hang low when he passed Seokwoo’s family. He could feel their eyes on them and he wanted to do nothing more than fall to his knees and beg them to believe him. He didn’t though, so he just silently walked past them. Inseong was sitting in the front row, right behind the defense. 

 

The state attorney had presented his opening speech, followed by his lawyer’s. He  _ wanted  _ the jury to believe his lawyer, but if he was honest, even he didn’t. 

She was an excellent talker, there was no doubt. The way she interacted with the jury, keeping eye contact and asking uncomfortable, rhetorical questions to prove her point, all of that proving she was more than qualified. Inseong hadn’t been joking when he said they’d hire the best lawyer. 

 

“Let’s say you have a few drinks, make your way to talk to your friend. But you’re so drunk you don’t know how and when you got to them. All you remember is you were drinking. Suddenly you’re accused of hurting them. Maybe you punched them, maybe you didn’t. You don’t know and there’s no evidence other than you being there. Maybe you got there to help?” The jury glanced around, uncomfortable at the thought that they would get tried for helping out.   
  


“So I’d like you to go into yourselves, ladies and gentlemen. I’d like you to imagine what Mr. Baek must be feeling. A man who never broke the law, who helped many families find their peace by solving the crimes committed to them. The same man who went out of his way more than once to help victim families in need, financially and emotionally. The same man who lived for his work and held a close bond with his partner and friend. That man with a kind, generous heart supposedly committed a horrendous crime against the only person whom he trusted. Ladies and gentlemen, I’m asking you. Does that make any sense?” 

Juho heard her speech for the first time as well, and he was shocked. He had seen a lot of defense attorneys belittle the victim but she was different. She never once blamed Seokwoo for what happened. Juho had watched her with a poker face, even if the urge to hide his face from all the glares he received was immense. 

 

The state attorney presented crushing evidence, one by one. His lawyer waited, looking through her files like Juho’s reputation wasn’t pulverized with each word. 

“The blood samples showed no signs of drugs-”    
It happened so fast that Juho nearly fell out of the chair he was sitting in. “Objection your honour! The defendant never had his blood drawn when he was taken in.” 

Murmurs erupted in the silent courtroom. The attorney looked at his partner, who looked equally shocked for a second. They quickly composed themselves. “That is not true, your honor! The protocol was followed step by step, which includes the blood of the suspect to be drawn.” 

Juho’s lawyer scoffed. “Is that so? Then if the protocol was followed, why wasn’t it documented? Why is there official record of the blood samples?” 

Before the state attorney could retort something, the judge raised her hand. “Mr. Neil, please hand me the protocol so we can look over it.” 

The judge’s eyes skimmed over the sheet. After a whole minute filled with torturing silence, she spoke up. “The jury is asked to erase the blood sample out of the list of evidences and not consider it while making a decision. The blood sample is considered invalid.”    
Jaeyoon was smirking into his hand, while Inseong smiled knowingly. Sanghyuk was sitting next to Seokwoo’s parents, who just looked crestfallen. 

“Your honor, you can’t do that! It’s crucial evidence-”   
“I very well can. The sample is invalid. Please continue.” 

 

Juho was confused, his eyes wandering from his lawyer to Inseong and then to the back until he had caught Jaeyoon’s eyes. He gave Juho a smile and thumbs up, as if the case had been one by just one evidence being taken out.    
He directed his gaze back onto the table in front of him. 

The cross examination went better than he had expected, minus the approximately thirty officers staring him down. He had been fine up until he locked eyes with Seokwoo’s parents. They had usually welcomed Juho with open arms and warm eyes. Their overall body language was clear- they didn't want to see Juho. He got it, he really did. They needed someone to blame and having to witness how Juho was the only one who had been present, it was a given for them to resent him. Juho didn’t blame them.

 

What he didn’t understand was how his lawyer could be so relaxed. Until he saw her pull out a sheet of paper, handing it to the judge as she talked. “The evidence gathered at the crime scene showed that there was an unknown DNA found on the arm and the body. The found DNA isn’t registered in the databank.”  It was like the final punch, some jury members pursing their lips as they noted something on their clipboards resting on their laps. 

The courtroom had been silent, there was no doubt but once she was done speaking it was like everyone had stopped breathing for a few seconds. 

“Mr. Neil, I really am curious as to why you decided it was not relevant to mention that there was an unknown person involved in the murder.” The state attorney didn’t waver one bit. 

“There was no reason to mention it, considering the incriminating evidence.” 

  
She smiled, taking a step closer to the jury, her eyes never leaving the attorney. “Ah, you didn’t think it was necessary. So it wasn’t necessary to investigate in the direction of a possible unknown murder and Mr. Baek just trying to help his friend from bleeding out? Just like how you thought you’d get away with faking a lab sample?” 

“Mrs. Park, please. Let’s keep it civilised.” 

  
She turned back to the judge, nodding her head. “Of course, your honor. I’m sorry.” 

While she walked backwards to where Juho was sitting, constantly facing the jury.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like you to take your time while deciding on the fate of this young man considering everything that you heard today.” 

 

It had been a long day, the trial had tired Juho out even though he hadn’t said too much. His head was buzzing with all the new information he had received throughout. The department was trying to frame him for the murder? He was currently lying on the stretcher in his solitary cell, for once welcoming the darkness. 

He recalled the words Sanghyuk had said. “ _ Don’t trust them. _ ”   
Juho was damned if he did. 


	9. chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> language tw  
> torture tw
> 
> please remember that this is nothing but fiction and is not related to any idol.

The media swarmed around him and his lawyer, who shielded his face with her briefcase. None of the cameras could have recorded a bit of his face. Sanghyuk had brought him a face mask and sunglasses. Juho had gratefully accepted them, his bangs combed down.    
He had surprisingly been acquitted, the jury apparently had seen every evidence the forensic had gathered as fabricated.    
Juho quickly slipped into the car that waited for him, his lawyer following him in. The door shut out the frantic yelled questions towards them. Juho let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. 

 

“Thank you.” Juho was sincere. The car had stopped at a crossover. His lawyer chuckled. “I just did my job Mr. Baek. If you truly want to thank someone, you should start with Jaeyoon. He used his last favor for me to take over your case.” She leaned back a little more, her briefcase resting on her lap. 

Juho was noticeably confused. “Jaeyoon? I thought Inseong-”    
“Oh no, not Inseong. Jaeyoon felt bad because he couldn’t visit you so he took it upon himself to hire a lawyer for you. I owed him a favor and he called it in for you, so.” 

Juho wouldn’t have guessed it in a million years. After all he had started to question the older’s intentions. It was like the suspicions he had while he had been locked up were all thrown out of the window. 

  
Juho was grateful towards not only Inseong but also Jaeyoon even if he had to put them behind bars for working for a criminal organisation.

It was ironic and guilt washed over him. Juho would practically put the two who helped him out of prison into the exact same place. 

His lawyer bid him farewell and wished him well before she left. They had dropped him off at the house where he had last stormed out.  He had no key so he prayed that someone was home. 

He waited for what felt like hours before the door was opened by a woman he didn’t remember seeing. “Ah, Mr. Baek. Come in.” She stepped aside, making space for Juho to enter. 

  
The house was just like he remembered it. Clean, spacious, too big for one person. Juho walked straight to the room Jaeyoon had offered him. He dropped the bag onto the floor and sat on the bed. It was softer than the stretcher could ever be and Juho fought the urge to just lay down and sleep under the soft, warm covers. His gaze flickered out the window. Juho officially was still investigating. Sanghyuk had told him he was his new partner and that from now on, he shouldn’t tell anyone about anything he found out except for him. The betrayal of his colleagues still sat deep. Juho would never forgive them for thinking that he was capable of killing his best friend. 

He hadn’t seen Jaeyoon or Inseong when he walked in, so he assumed them to be out of the house. This was his chance to go through the other rooms without being interrupted.

 

Juho made sure the hallway was clear before he silently walked into Inseong’s room. He rarely slept over. Juho went through the drawers and halted at a picture sitting on top of the dresser. The picture showed Inseong and Jaeyoon in school uniforms. They displayed bright smiles, each of them holding a bouquet of flowers. Jaeyoon had his arm draped over the other’s shoulder. Inseong’s head leaned against Jaeyoon’s as the two smiled brightly into the camera. Another framed picture was sitting next to it. It was the only picture in the entire room. 

Juho hadn’t found anything suspicious in Inseong’s room. He cautiously made his way to Jaeyoon’s. The door had been left ajar and he took the chance to slip in. 

Juho guessed it was the master bedroom, granted the space was almost double as big as his own assigned room. The interior was kept in beige to black colors. What caught Juho’s attention the most was the wardrobe. The doors went from the ceiling to the ground. He slid them open, careful to not leave any of his handprints on the polished mirrors. 

The sight presenting itself to Juho was overwhelming. The entire closet was filled with clothes, from the top to the bottom. They were sorted by occasion and color. An entire wall was dedicated for shoes. Even the floor was carpeted. He took it all in as he stepped closer to one of the glass dressers. The expensive cufflinks displayed caught his attention. He opened the drawers one by one, each revealing another set of watches Jaeyoon never could’ve afforded by working just occasionally for the gang. And he surely wouldn’t be able to sustain the house and entire household including the housekeeper. 

 

_ “Just be careful. Beauty is only skin deep.” _ Seokwoo’s expastarated voice was echoing in his mind.   _ “My problem is you’re glorifying a terrible man, Juho!”   _ His brain worked fast as he tried to connect all the dots. His thoughts were cut short by a familiar voice. “Weren’t you taught not to go through other people's things?” Juho’s head snapped towards the closet door. Inseong was standing there, stiff as ever with his arms crossed and casually leaning his shoulder against the frame of the door. His sharp eyes bore holes into Juho. 

Juho’s mind now was working fast to dish out an excuse, but he couldn’t come up with one. Instead he opted to keep silent and rush out of the room. Inseong’s eyes never left him. 

 

Juho shut the door to his room, heart pounding hard in his chest. He swiftly pulled out his phone, fingers hovering over the keyboard. He bit his lip, wriggling his thumbs a little until he decided to type out what he had seen for his new partner. He quickly pressed send when he heard footsteps nearing the door. 

It didn’t take much longer until it was ripped open, revealing the same man who had caught him snooping in Jaeyoon’s room.    
“I don’t know what your fucking mission is man but I won’t let you disrespect Jaeyoon like this. He didn’t get your rotten ass out of jail just so you can walk around and act like you own this place.” With each word Inseong spat his finger dug more and more into Juho’s chest. “Don’t you even try to think of deceiving Jaeyoon.” The underlying threat was clear. Juho stared at Inseong, unfazed. Instead he swatted the older’s hand away. 

“Just tried to get to know him. You basically know everything about me but I? I know nothing about either of you.” Inseong narrowed his eyes. “Maybe you could ask instead of going through his things.” Juho scoffed, not moving an inch. He wouldn’t waver, he wouldn’t let Inseong intimidate him. “Oh, yeah. Stupid me, why couldn’t I have thought about it before. Why not ask Inseong or Jaeyoon about their past when they won’t even reply to simple questions like where they were. Oh dumb ol’ me.” Each word dripped with sarcasm, which angered Inseong even more. “And that gave you the right to, I don’t know, strut into his private area ‘nd look through his clothes?” 

  
“You went through my stuff?” Jaeyoon was standing in the door, visibly hurt by the invasion. Neither of the two had heard him walk up the stairs, let alone open the front door. Juho had two options. One was to feel guilty. Afterall, it had been Jaeyoon who had gotten him the best lawyer in the state. The other was to act like he had done nothing wrong. “I was just curious and bored.” 

There was just something Juho couldn’t pinpoint, something about how the two was off. He had never seen anyone be so protective over a bedroom. Seokwoo’s and Sanghyuk’s words came back to his mind. 

Jaeyoon stared at him for a few more seconds before he shrugged and clasped his hand onto Inseong’s shoulder, lightly pulling him back. “Just don’t do it again.” There was that million dollar smile that made Juho forget about his task, his morals, about everything. Jaeyoon had been already out of the door while Inseong threw him one last dirty look before he slammed the door shut. 

 

Jaeyoon had waited for Inseong in the kitchen, his understanding and friendly expression long wiped off. He leaned against the counter with a water glass in his hand. He drowned the content, keeping a strong grip around it. Inseong pulled a chair and took a seat. Jaeyoon’s gaze was dark, eyes narrowed and eyebrows drawn together in anger. “I don’t want him left alone. I don’t care who, but someone’s going to watch him.” Inseong played with his ear as he silently watched Jaeyoon’s knuckles turn white until the glass in his shattered, his eyes distant. He was still lost in thought, crunching the remaining shards in his fist. Inseong let out  a small sigh which seemed to snap Jaeyoon back. He blinked at his bloodied fist. Inseong walked over to Jaeyoon, guiding his hand under the tap. “Jjaeng, why don’t you ever listen to me.” Inseong softly exclaimed as he cleaned the wound gently. Jaeyoon rested his head on Inseong’s shoulder. “Don’t know. Bad habit.” Both chuckled at that. 

“I’ll bandage it for you-” Jaeyoon lightly bit his shoulder in protest.    
“No need to.” He pulled his hand gently away before he patted the spot he had bitten softly. “And stop worrying. I know what to do and it’s going to be so fun!” The mischief glittered in Jaeyoon’s eyes and the playful smile was nearly reaching his ears. 

Inseong grinned, his eyebrows raised. “Do I want to know?” Jaeyoon shook his head, the smile never leaving his face when he walked out the kitchen.  

 

Jaeyoon had his eyes on Juho- be it his own or someone he had hired to. Each time Juho sneaked around, Jaeyoon knew. He had started leaving certain stuff in the open, just that Juho could find it.

Inseong had gotten the message that Juho was meeting up with his new partner. He didn’t worry too much about it. He was more focused on making sure that Jaeyoon got the share from another gang. They shouldn’t take his helpfulness as granted and something to be toyed with.    
Inseong watched their employees push five people onto their knees, all had a bag over their heads. 

“Where’s the share?” Inseong hadn’t expected them to answer. He didn’t want to deal with them and he was sure Jaeyoon needed to blow some steam. “Pack ‘em up.” Inseong gestured with his finger around the room.    
  
Jaeyoon had been pissed. Usually Inseong would’ve waited for his friend to finish his meetings, but he had been annoyed with the five he had brought in.    
“Suck it, Yoon. I couldn’t take their shit anymore.” Inseong grumpily had said before Jaeyoon could even open his mouth. He just raised his hands in defeat. 

Inseong briefed him in quick. “They used our money and our drugs, made profit and didn’t give back 20% like arranged.” 

Jaeyoon clicked his tongue in disappointment. “That’s not how we do business gentlemen.” Within seconds, the bags had been lifted from their heads, revealing between the five two females. “And ladies. Where are my manners?” Jaeyoon smiled. 

  
“Anyways.” Jaeyoon sat opposite them on the floor, crossing his legs and staring intently at them. “You could’ve had it easy, you know.” 

One of the women snorted. “There’s no easy when it’s about you.” Jaeyoon smiled his million watt smile. “You’re a smart one, aren’t you?”    
“Maybe you’d be too if you kept your eyes on your men.” Jaeyoon’s eye started to twitch, his smile stoic. “Excuse me?”    
The man next to him, though his hands were bound, jabbed his elbow into her ribs. She just gave him an unaffected stare. 

 

“Never noticed how your little lackeys had no news for you the past weeks?”    
“Shut up!” the other woman hissed at her. “Oh no, let her. Honesty is refreshing.”    
The other’s stared at the brazen woman with hatred. “Wow, you really don’t know, huh? There’s a new detective who isn’t informing anyone because he’s suspicious that everyone’s on your payroll. I mean he’s not wrong.” She smirked, enjoying the twitching eye of Jaeyoon.

“Ah, and do you know that detective’s name?” She shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe I don’t.”    
Jaeyoon hummed, pretending to think. He got up, placing himself right in front of the woman. “I guess that means you don’t know his name. What a shame. Would’ve let you live.” The sweet smile on his face was a stark contrast to his actions- he brought his fingers up to her eyes and started to press them into her skull. Her trashing and screaming died with a gurgling sound as her vegetative system shut down. Jaeyoon let her limb body fall like a wet sack of rice. He wasn’t in the mood to play anymore. The news of the new detective possibly teaming up with Juho to keep everyone else in the dark about the investigation agitated Jaeyoon more than anything. 

 

“His name is Detective Sanghyuk Lee and he’s the replacement for the cop who got killed in his own apartment.” The only female left blurted out as Jaeyoon was continuously opening and closing his fists, flexing his fingers. The remaining four were focused on either the blood dripping down his fingers or the lifeless body of their colleague. 

 

“Is that so.” He slowly walked in front of them. “Sanghyuk.  _ Sanghyuk _ .” Jaeyoon repeated the name a few times until he let out a little sound. “Ah, of course I know who he is.” He was now standing behind the remaining four. “Where’s my share?” He let his finger gently jump from shoulder to shoulder, waiting for an answer. “Fuck you.” Jaeyoon shrugged. Apparently the only intellecutal one among them was the woman. Jaeyoon picked up the bag and harshly pulled it over the man’s head, who was straining against it. 

Merciless, Jaeyoon pulled the cords of the bag brutally together. While one hand kept the cords taut, the other rested supportingly on the man’s shoulder. “Just take a deep breath.” Jaeyoon said as he heard the man gasp for air. He tugged a little on the cords, squeezing his windpipe even tighter. Before the man choked to death, Jaeyoon let go of the cords, allowing him to breathe again. The way the man retched for air was like music to Jaeyoon. He was thrown onto the floor, clothed face colliding with the floor. Jaeyoon knelt gracefully down, rolling the heavily breathing man onto his back- his hands were trapped between his own back and ground.    
Jaeyoon lightly massaged the man’s shoulders, as if he was trying to relax the tense muscles. In a split second, Jaeyoon had wordlessly started plummeting the man’s face with his fists. Inseong watched Jaeyoon smash the man’s skull with his bare hands. He did play with the thought of pulling his friend away. Jaeyoon was back in his modus where he couldn’t control his anger. If Inseong tried to get in between now, his head would be the next. No thank you. So he just took a step back, out of the blood splatters trajectory. His shoes were new and he didn’t want to burn them. 

  
The cracking sound of bones breaking was soon replaced by the squishy sound of tissues and blood colliding with the handle of the gun Jaeyoon had pulled out, underlined by the heavy breathing and grunts Jaeyoon let out.    
Without wasting another second, Jaeyoon got up and shook his head lightly with the intention of getting his bangs out of the way. He was drenched in blood from head to toe and Inseong was sure he saw brain tissue sticking on Jaeyoon’s ruined dress shirt. He turned back to the other three. The two men were already on the way to the door, leaving the woman behind. She was in a state of shock, the nausea had made her unable to move.    
  
Jaeyoon picked up one of the bags on the way. In one swift movement, Jaeyoon had snapped the neck of one of them. He watched the other struggle opening the door. Jaeyoon had lifted a corner of his lips up in an amused smile before he draped the cords around the man’s neck, pulling them tightly close as he watched the shocked face turn blueish until he had gone limp and fallen to the ground, cracking his skull on the door. 

 

Just like his anger had taken control over him, it had disappeared that way as well. 

He gestured his men to release the woman. “Tell your boss I’ll stop by for tea some time.” He patted her shoulder with his bloody hand before she got up and shakily left. 

 

“About that new detective and Juho-” Inseong had started. “Don’t worry. I already know what to do. Just get me the file on that Sanghyuk kid.” The maniac glimmer in Jaeyoon’s eyes was promising.


	10. chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> torture tw  
> blood tw  
> language tw  
> character death tw
> 
> please remember that none of this is real and it's all fiction.

Juho should’ve seen the signs. He should’ve added one and one together, it’d have saved him the headache and Juho perhaps could’ve avoided this entire situation. 

He had been in Jaeyoon’s room again. He had continued looking through the wardrobe and had noticed a sliding door towards a spacious room. It looked like a study room and Juho couldn’t help himself, looking around. The desk faced the sliding door, behind it a giant window. The walls were lined with bookshelves and framed pictures in between the books.    
Juho’s attention was purely on the desk. He walked around it.   
  
He didn’t find anything of use on the surface so he dug through the drawers. The middle drawer seemed to have everything he was looking for. Juho took out the files and his mouth fell open in shock. His wide eyes landed on Sanghyuk’s picture, in the left corner of the paper that was filled with every little detail about the detective. He went through the file and saw his name listed under current affiliations.  A cold shudder ran down Juho’s spine. He had had little hope that they only had his name and no picture. He picked up another file from the drawer and his hope was crushed. He stared at the picture of himself wearing his military uniform and staring blankly into the camera. He read through the first page. Jaeyoon had known who he was all along. Everything clicked into place and Juho felt so stupid for not noticing earlier.  _ “You’re glorifying a terrible man, Juho!” _ Seokwoo’s disappointed voice echoed through Juho’s mind again. 

 

He flipped through the other pages. He was lost in his thoughts as he processed everything he was reading. A piece of paper caught his eye and he pulled it out from the back of the file. 

“I see your curiosity got the better of you. You should’ve listened to Inseong when he told you to back off. Left you a present. Kisses, Jaeyoon”    
Juho wished he hadn’t looked at the envelope. There were pictures of how Seokwoo was being beaten up by Juho himself. He had taken pictures of the files and had sent them to Sanghyuk.

  
“Oh Juho, you shouldn’t have. You never stop, don’t you?” Jaeyoon’s soft voice made Juho jump in shock. He swiftly had pulled his gun, pointing it at the cartel leader. He was smiling, leaning over the desk with his hands on the surface of the desk. Juho was for the first time feeling pure fear around Jaeyoon. The barrel was just inches away from Jaeyoon but the older didn’t seem to be fazed a bit. “Drop the weapon, detective.”    
Juho had right walked into their trap. The gun barrel was pressed against his spine. He involuntarily shivered against the cold. Juho at first didn’t change his position at all. He kept the gun pointed at Jaeyoon with a straight face. Only at the sound of the gun being uncocked by Inseong did Juho drop his arms. “You know how it goes, don’t you?” The smile on Jaeyoon’s face was friendly and Juho felt sick. He slowly put the gun down onto the desk and raised his hands afterwards. The tension was thick, and Juho felt the sweat go down his back.    
Jaeyoon leaned back, swaying his hands back and forth as he took a few steps back. He smacked his lips and pulled them back up in a blending smile. “I’d have loved to play a little longer but we don’t want to make our friend wait, do we?”    
  
Inseong used the gun to guide Juho out of the room. Once they reached the hallway, he raised the handle and knocked Juho out with one swift, forceful hit on his skull.    
  


The first thing Juho noticed was the pounding in his head. He held his head as he sat up. It was cold and his vision was still blurry. He felt a hand on his collar, pulling him up with sheer force. Juho’d have fallen back down if not for the grip on his clothes. Juho had to blink a few times until he could focus again. Jaeyoon leaning against what seemed like a desk was the first thing in Juho’s sight. It was pretty bright for a warehouse. Juho noticed a few mirrors and huge windows around. 

 

“You’re back with us. Great!” Jaeyoon exclaimed cheerfully. The way Jaeyoon was leaning casually against the table with his huge smile sent shivers down Juho’s spine. 

“We should wait for your friend, he seems to be late. What was his name again? Sanghyuk?” Jaeyoon frowned playfully, moving his finger in a circle. At Jaeyoon’s gesture, Inseong let go of Juho’s collar and stepped back. 

Juho couldn’t help but let out a growl, narrowing his eyes at the man in front of him. He reached for his gun, quickly realising that he had have to hand it to the leader in front of him. 

  
“You should’ve listened to your partner back then, you know.” Jaeyoon’s smile never left his face. “Keep Seokwoo’s name out of your mouth!” Juho knew that Jaeyoon was trying to rile him up, to make him slip. He knew that Jaeyoon was just playing with him, like he had all along.    
Jaeyoon snorted. “You act like I killed him. If I remember correct, it was you who murdered him, Detective.” Jaeyoon pretended to think hard while he spoke. Inseong was just watching in amusement.    
“And correct me if I’m wrong but wasn’t it me who got you out of jail?” Jaeyoon tapped his fingers on the desk. Juho gritted his teeth, clenching his fists tightly. “Tell me, detective Baek. How did it feel? Draining the life of your best friend with your own hands? Did you feel the power you held over him?”    
It took Juho all his willpower not to lunge himself at the man in front of him. He was outnumbered and he had no weapon to defend himself. “What were you thinking when he screamed for you to stop while you ripped his arm out?” Jaeyoon pushed himself off the desk, walking in an agonizingly slow pace towards Juho. “Say, why was your mouth so blood smeared? Did you actually taste him?” Jaeyoon let out a laugh, resting a hand on his shoulder. Juho slapped it away. Jaeyoon just smiled wider at it. 

 

“I bet you secretly enjoyed it. Seokwoo’s screams. His begging. I bet you actually etched his painfilled face into your mind-” Juho couldn’t take it anymore. He latched his hands onto Jaeyoon’s throat, cutting the airway off. The amused smirk was a stark contrast to Juho’s contorted face. “Press. Harder.” Jaeyoon wheezed as he circled his hands around Juho’s wrists. Juho rung hard with himself, the inner fight visible on his face. In the end, he let go of his neck and yelled out “ _ Fuck _ !” 

 

Inseong let out a tiny laugh. This was better than any branding, better than any payback Inseong could've gotten up with. It was clear that Juho was fighting to keep his composure. With every passing minute he was losing control. “Why did you kill him? What did he ever do to you?” Juho spat out walking back up to Jaeyoon. 

“Oh, poor you. Did you actually think he was an innocent bystander who happened to be caught in the crossfire of the oh so bad Jaeyoon?” The smirk on Jaeyoon's face annoyed Juho furthermore. “Besides, it wasn't me who killed him. It was you. I just helped you realise how much you actually despise him.”

“If you think Seokwoo was the only one who didn't work for us, then you're dumber than I thought.” Inseong chirped in. Juho turned around, completely lost in anger as he stared Inseong down. 

Inseong continued before Juho could speak up. “He sold you all for his sister. You think she got her kidney because her condition was bad?” He let out a laugh. “For a detective you’re so stupid.” 

Juho couldn’t listen to any of it at this moment. Seokwoo was supposedly involved into the activities of the gang? The man he had trusted his life with? The man who was like a brother to him? “He paid off his debt by working for me. I must say, I’m grateful you got rid of him. That way I didn’t have to dirty my hands.” Inseong was playing with the gun in his hands. 

Jaeyoon was leaning against the table once more, watching with amusement how easy it was to rile Juho up. “You see. He’d still be alive if he hadn’t tried to betray Jaeyoon. Afterall, Jaeyoon saved his sister’s life.” 

Juho was still glaring at Inseong, who was completely unfazed. “The same goes for you. If it hadn’t been for Jaeyoon, you’d rot in jail. I told him to leave you there but he didn’t listen.” Inseong peeked over Juho’s shoulder, who got more and more aggravated as the seconds passed, throwing Jaeyoon an “ _ I told you so _ ” look. 

  
Juho had used that moment to disarm Inseong. He was standing close enough for the gun to be mere inches away from his face. The surprised look was quickly wiped off his face and by replaced by disinterest. Juho had to admit that his poker face had always been perfect. “Come on, detective. Shoot me.” Inseong took a step towards the other, Jaeyoon hadn’t moved a single muscle. He kept watching the scene in amusement. Oh he was enjoying this. 

“Kill me like you killed that worthless traitor.” Inseong smirked at Juho’s eye twitching and vein popping out from restraining himself.    
The invitation was tempting, so tempting that Juho’s finger was starting to move on its own, putting light pressure onto the trigger. He wanted them to suffer the way Seokwoo had.    
Juho aimed the gun at Inseong’s stomach. He recalled the investigation, the way he had been shunned by his colleagues. He remembered the disappointed faces of Seokwoo’s parents and the autopsy report. Then he pulled the trigger, firing a bullet into Inseong’s lower abdomen. It seemed like everything was moving in slow motion, as if the bullet was mocking his choice of action. None of the present males had expected Juho to pull the trigger. Juho hadn’t expected him to either. Inseong brought his hands to the entry wound, his eyes wide as he raised one of his bloodied hands. Jaeyoon had pushed himself off the desk, disbelieving eyes focusing on first Juho, then Inseong who stared right back at the leader. 

 

Inseong wavered a few steps back, knees giving in as he put pressure onto the wound. Jaeyoon had shoved Juho out of the way as he strode towards the older. “It’s fine, Seong. It’s fine.” Inseong just squeezed his eyes shut as the pain overwhelming his other senses. Jaeyoon pulled him towards a timber, leaning Inseong against it as he stroked hair out of his eyes and cupped his face. “Keep pressing.” He pressed a gentle peck onto Inseong’s by now sweaty forehead before he straightened up with a menacing stare. “You shouldn’t have done that.” Jaeyoon pulled out a knife out of his holster. He had a firm grip around it, turning his knuckles white. He let out an animalistic snarl as he lunged himself at Juho, who blocked the incoming punch. Jaeyoon threw hit after hit while Juho just fend them off. He was really glad for the intense training he went through during his military time. Juho was waiting for the other to tire out but it seemed like Jaeyoon was in better shape than he had expected. It seemed like he was fueled by rage. Sanghyuk’s voice echoed in the hallway, distracting Juho for just a small second. Jaeyoon had used it to his advantage and squared Juho in the face, making him stagger back. Before Juho had time to get his guard up again, Jaeyoon sent another punch towards him, knocking the breath out of the detective by connecting the grip of the knife with Juho’s torso. His whole body felt heavy as he wheezed for air, letting go of the gun. The grunting between the two was interrupted constantly by Inseong’s heavy breathing, which seemed to incite Jaeyoon even more. While Juho grew tired, Jaeyoon grew stronger.    
  
Juho had held onto Jaeyoon’s wrist, fighting the knife further towards the leader. Though Juho was still struggling to regain his breath, he didn’t give Jaeyoon another opportunity to strike him.    
“Police, drop the weapon and put your hands up!” Sanghyuk’s voice cut through the air. His badge was visibly hanging on his belt. Jaeyoon, compared to Juho, had barely broken a sweat. He rammed his elbow into Juho’s chest, sending the detective with a cough to the ground. Even with the cracked lip and bleeding eyebrow Jaeyoon was in a better conditon than Juho. He was wearing the same devilish grin as always. Yet this time he looked more of the personification of satan by the way blood oozed out of his gums, tainting his usually white teeth in red.

  
Sanghyuk repeated what he had said earlier. Inseong groaned, gaining Sanghyuk’s attention for a split second. “Keep your eyes open!” Jaeyoon growled as he finally made use of the knife in his hand. Sanghyuk was speaking into his radio, requesting an ambulance. Jaeyoon was smart, he knew when it was best to strike. And so he did, throwing his knife at Sanghyuk’s leg. Sanghyuk didn’t immediately feel the pain. Instead he fired his gun, grazing Jaeyoon’s arm who attempted to walk towards him. Jaeyoon hissed out in pain, Juho grabbing his leg from where he was lying. While Sanghyuk was tending his leg as much as he could, Jaeyoon had shook off Juho’s hands around his ankle. Juho wouldn’t give up. He was pushing himself off the ground as a kick landed on his side, making him gasp for air once more. Jaeyoon stared down at him, the crooked, bloodied smile ever so present as he swung his feet against his ribcage. The cracking of the bones were audible, making Sanghyun look up from his own wound. If he pulled the knife out, he’d bleed out. He had no choice other than to leave it in. 

 

He heard Juho yell out in pain as Jaeyoon stepped on his arm rather forcefully. Sanghyuk had limped his way to Inseong who was fighting to keep his eyes open. “Hey. Hey do you hear me?” Sanghyuk lightly tapped Inseong’s face, who focused on the officer in front of him. “The ambulance is on its way-” Sanghyuk felt the pain in his leg worsen. Inseong had gathered his little strength and pushed the knife deeper into his leg, the weak smirk was taunting Sanghyuk. He couldn’t help but lose his balance, falling against a pair of legs. Jaeyoon forcefully grabbed him by his hair and lifted him up.

His face was contorted in fury, the gentleness long gone. Jaeyoon threw Sanghyuk around like he was nothing but a mere doll. The pain shooting up his entire body as he collided once more with the hard beton floor knocked the air out of his lungs. He felt his body go weaker with every kick and punch landing on him. Juho was trying to shakily get back on his feet. He was sure his ribs and arm were fractured. The throbbing in his face was indicating that he should expect fractures there as well. Sanghyuk’s deafening yell took him by surprise and made Juho topple over once more. His arm had given out under the weight of his heavy limbs. He was lying flat on his stomach. Jaeyoon had smashed Sanghyuk’s face into one of the mirrors hanging on the wall, dragging his face slowly yet forcefully up and down the shards. Juho saw Sanghyuk struggle against the deathly grip the leader had on his neck. He managed to ram his elbow into Jaeyoon’s side, earning a sharp hiss. The grip momentarily loosened. Sanghyuk twisted Jaeyoon’s arm, throwing him against the wall. But Jaeyoon quickly regained his composure. “You shouldn’t have touched him.”    
His voice was calm, way too calm compared to the animalistic smile he was throwing Sanghyuk. Jaeyoon lunged back at him, not wasting another second. 

He threw Sanghyuk against one of the windows close to Juho. “You. You are at fault for all of this, detective Baek.” Jaeyoon spat. The smile paired with his comically wide eyes creeped Juho out furthermore. Sanghyuk was struggling to get up by supporting himself on the window. Jaeyoon had different plans, though. He seized Sanghyuk by his neck once more, pressing his face against the window. The bright sun was a strong contrast to the dark atmosphere inside. “What a beautiful day to die, isn’t it so detective?” Jaeyoon repeatedly hammered Sanghyuk’s head against the window until it cracked. He didn’t stop. He continued to slide Sanghyuk’s face around the shards, piercing his face with the glass. Only when the painfilled screams had subdued to whimpers followed by complete silence did Jaeyoon stop. Before he dropped the limp body of the detective onto the floor, Jaeyoon pulled the knife out of his leg. Sanghyuk dropped face forward onto the floor, his mutilated visage facing Juho. 

  
He had managed to sit up, gathering his strength to reach anything he could use to defend himself. Juho knew that Jaeyoon was vastly superior than him no matter how hard he tried. Jaeyoon was a master of manipulation and he knew how to use it against anyone around him. “This is all your fault!” Jaeyoon yelled once more, pulling Juho towards him. Jaeyoon turned him around so he was lying on his back, groaning at the weight on his cracked thorax as Jaeyoon dropped himself onto his torso. “You shouldn’t have touched Inseong” Jaeyoon screeched into his face as he plummeted his fist repeatedly to his head. Juho wanted to retort something but his voice failed him as Jaeyoon slammed the knife in his other hand into his shoulder. Juho felt himself slip away for a few seconds before the fists flying into his face brought him back. 

His body betrayed him. Juho desperately tried to move his limbs but they refused to listen. 

Jaeyoon was covered in blood, from head to toe yet it didn’t seem enough. He pushed himself off Juho as he heard sirens approach. Jaeyoon pulled the knife out of his shoulder, satisfied with the small whimper Juho let out. He stepped with one foot onto Juho’s sternum, putting enough pressure to hear it crack as he leaned down a little. “I’d have loved to watch you choke on your own blood but it’s time to say goodbye.” Juho saw the blade glisten in the sun. It was like Jaeyoon was moving extra slow. It had felt like an eternity until Juho felt the blade cut across his throat. Immediately he started to gurgle and gasp for air. The last thing Juho had seen was the maniac grin on Jaeyoon’s bloodied face. 

 

Jaeyoon had scooped Inseong up in his arms, rushing through a secret passage out of the warehouse. There were only two people who knew of it. Jaeyoon himself and the man lying in his arms. Inseong drifted in and out of consciousness. 

“Come on Inseong, keep your eyes open. We’re so close to get you help.” 

Jaeyoon sprinted as fast as he could through the dimly lit tunnel. Inseong was getting colder as minutes passed by. Jaeyoon had halted for a second, somehow managing to get Inseong onto his back. 

  
After what felt like an eternity, Jaeyoon had reached the end of the passage. It had led him to an airport where one of his many private jets had been parked. Without wasting a second, he carried Inseong up into the cabin. He sat Inseong carefully into one of the spacious seats.    
Jaeyoon had always staff present no matter what. So it was no surprise that they had lifted off within minutes of his arrival. Jaeyoon stroked Inseong’s damp hair. 

He called the only doctor he trusted over the sat phone. Inseong was pale, his entire body cold. Jaeyoon gently pulled him out of the seat and laid him down onto the aisle. 

Inseong’s eyes were unfocused as the cold sweat dripped off his face. The doctor instructed Jaeyoon what he was supposed to do. “It’s going to be fine Inseong. Hold on a little longer.” Jaeyoon had added extra pressure onto the wound on his stomach.    
The man talked Jaeyoon through everything but nothing seemed to help.    
  
Inseong attempted to say something multiple times but Jaeyoon shushed him. Inseong didn’t listen. He gathered his last strength, Jaeyoon holding his hand like his life depended on it. There was a gentle smile on Inseong’s face despite the crushing pain he was feeling. “Thank you for everything. Don’t blame yourself. I love y-” Before Inseong could finish his sentence, he had exhaled for the last time. His fond eyes staring up at Jaeyoon’s tearfilled ones.    
Jaeyoon dropped Inseong’s limp hand, starting the thorax compressions. He didn’t listen to what the doctor was telling him over the phone. Inseong couldn’t be dead. His only friend couldn’t be gone.    
Jaeyoon let his tears flow for the first time in years as he continued putting pressure onto Inseong’s chest. The aisle’s carpet was digging into his knees but Jaeyoon couldn’t care less. Only after half an hour did he finally listen to the booming voice of the doctor over the phone. Jaeyoon let himself fall back against one of the seats, slipping his hand into Inseong’s cold one. “I love you too.” Jaeyoon whispered as he dropped his head onto Inseong’s stiff chest. He stayed like that for a long time, the memories crushing him like a heavy rock. He remembered how they had been each others anchor during their university times. Inseong had always made sure he kept something human in him. Now that he was gone, Jaeyoon felt like the little humanity he had left was gone as well. 

 

Jaeyoon had lost the only person who had kept him grounded, the only one who had truly mattered to him. He straightened up, his sobs long faded. Jaeyoon never let go of Inseong’s hand, even if the postmortem rigidity had set in. The stewardess, bless her heart, had set a glass of water and wet wipes next to Jaeyoon when he hadn’t shown any signs of taking it.    
Jaeyoon had sent her to the cockpit and told her not to come out until they had landed. His expression was emotionless, the only evidence of his mourning were the wet spots and traces the tears had left. 

Jaeyoon hadn’t moved a single bit, except to clean the blood off his face with the provided wipes, until the flight attendant had, fear filled, asked Jaeyoon to return to his seat so they could land. Others might have been disturbed by spending over twelve hours with the body of their best friend in a small, confined room. Jaeyoon hadn’t been. He had taken it as an incentive to plan his revenge. 

 

It hadn’t taken long after the employees announcement for them to land. Inseong’s body was starting to smell but Jaeyoon couldn’t seem to care about it. He had sent the crew away, still staying in the machine. 

 

He didn’t raise his head when someone walked in. 

“Jaeyoon, you need to get out here. You did your best.” Jaeyoon gracefully got up. The smile was back on. “Oh, don’t you worry Youngbin. Just make sure he gets the proper burial he deserves.” 

He brushed past the doctor, disappearing out of his sight. It worried Youngbin to see Jaeyoon act nonchalantly about Inseong’s death. He knew better than to believe the act. 

 

Jaeyoon would get his revenge, no matter what it cost him. He wouldn’t stop until he had gotten rid of everyone and everything involved with his only friend’s death. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry i feel like i rushed this but honestly speaking i was a little uncomfortable to continue this story in the width i had originally planned to with everything that's being exposed right now.  
> i still hope it was somewhat okay and not too boring or filled with typos. english isn't my first language ;;  
> thank you to anyone who read and left kudos, it's really motivating to keep writing!

**Author's Note:**

> so this is quite different than my first post, i know huhuh  
> i hope you liked it so far ;;


End file.
